


(See you) Next Illusion!

by Phantoms_Echo



Category: Magic Kaito, 名探偵コナン | Detective Conan | Case Closed
Genre: According to Author, Alpha!Hattori, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Artificial Intelligence, Alternate Universe - Merpeople, Alternate Universe - My Hero Academia Fusion, Alternate Universe- CLAMP crossover, Beta!Hakuba, Except Shinichi brings him hot chocolate so he's okay, Feral Behavior, Haibara is just done with these two, Hakuba is not putting up with Kaito's sh_t, Hanakotoba does not equal Hanahaki, Hanakotoba is 'flower language', Hattori just wants his jacket back, Human!Haibara, Kaito is a strong independent Omega who don't need no Alpha, Kaito is in love, M/M, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Mild Language, Nesting, One Shot Collection, One Shot is longer than Drabble, Robot!Kaito, Robot!Shinichi, Shinichi accidentally declares his love, Shinichi is oblivious, Temporary Character Death, Tsubasa Chronicles, alpha!shinichi, omega!kaito
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-20
Updated: 2019-03-02
Packaged: 2019-03-07 09:51:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 93,211
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13432185
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Phantoms_Echo/pseuds/Phantoms_Echo
Summary: Collections of Oneshots too long to fit in Next Conan Hint.Chapter 5 - Finding Kaito (Mermaid AU)Kaito was about to offer another fish, when Shinichi brought the caught fish up to his mouth…And bit it in half.Kaito watch numbly as the fish he’d held in his hands only moments ago disappeared between sharp teeth and bloodied lips. He felt his stomach roil as he stared at those wide, dead eyes, staring at Kaito like it was his fault.And it was. He did this. He threw the fish over to Shinichi to be devoured savagely. He did this.…Kaito didn’t want to talk to Shinichi anymore.(Yes, I have one of these in the NCH collection, but I thought about the prompt more and this is the result.)





	1. Hanakotoba

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Detective Conan or Magic Kaito, only the events in this fanfic. This was based on a prompt, so the original idea belongs to 'Julia'.
> 
> PS -Yes, I know. Why have 2 collections of oneshots? Well the other was supposed to be for Drabbles, which (in my head) means 3,000 words or less. Most I would stretch it to would be 5,000 words, but that's cutting it close.
> 
> This fic is 9,000+. While I wouldn't mind posting it as just a fic in an of itself, I have other prompts that are turning out far longer than expected. I don't want to clutter my Works page with a whole bunch of oneshots. If they end up as series, then I'll take them out of here, but otherwise, they have a new home in this collection. :)
> 
> I'm thinking of moving Heartbeat Song, Wiz Kid, Lip-lock Luck Swap and the Halloween fic in here too. Anyone have any objections?
> 
> Also, Kaito is taller than Conan, so the longer fics get his sign-off, right? ;)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hanakotoba
> 
> Julia:  
> I have trouble with words and can’t write any fanfic ideas I get in my head. One of my ideas is Kaito courting Shinichi with flowers. He doesn’t use red roses or any cliché romantic flower, he uses flowers that represent intellect or other flowers that can describe Shinichi. I like the idea that Kaito would show Shinichi that he liked him, but also prove that he knows him.
> 
> Author:  
> So... pretty sure I failed, but I couldn’t find flowers that represent ‘intellect’ on Wikipedia. I found a couple with 'bravery' and lots for 'pretty', but mostly, they were superficial... So, I got creative. :)
> 
>  
> 
> Conan knew the language of flowers. He knew exactly what that first Rose that Nakamori-keibu picked up meant. He knew that *none* of its meanings applied to the thief known as Kaitou KID.
> 
> He should've known to keep his mouth shut.

It started with a Rose.

A white one, to be specific –and it wasn’t even given to Conan.

It had been taped onto the back of the flamboyant thief’s latest heist notice, a white card left behind for Nakamori-keibu in the middle of the struggle. It shouldn’t have stood out as anything other than a cheap trick, but the sight of it made Conan’s blood boil.

_Innocence, Silence, Devotion…_

Yeah, right.

The next time they met, Conan tried to keep his mouth shut. He knew the language of flowers had been declining in popularity. He only knew as much as he did from Ran’s brief bout of obsession before she’d turned to Karate. He knew, in his head, that many people just gave flowers because they were pretty, not because of what they said.

He _knew_ he should have kept his mouth shut… but he couldn’t.

“You shouldn’t have left a White Rose,” Conan bit out before the thief could throw his flash grenade onto the floor of the metal ship. He knew he should have been aiming his tranquilizer, but the ship was out in the middle of the ocean. There was nowhere for the thief to run.

Predictably, the thief paused with his hand over his head, sunglasses perched on his, or rather _Ran’s_ , nose. The thief’s jaw dropped. “Excuse me?”

“As a criminal, you are hardly innocent and as a ‘magician’, I would never call you silent.” Conan scoffed derisively. “You could be devoted, but if that’s the only reason you chose the white rose, you may as well have left a glove or gauntlet as a declaration of challenge.”

“… You know the language of flowers?” the thief’s voice came out quietly, as if speaking too loud would break some kind of spell. Interesting.

Conan cocked his head to the side, eyes narrowing. “Do you?”

The thief pursed his lips and threw the flash bombs, lighting up the corridor. Conan was prepared and covered his face, but the momentary pause was all the thief needed to make his escape. Conan searched the whole ship, but the phantom thief was nowhere to be found.

*             *             *             *             *

Conan should have just kept his mouth shut.

If he did, he’d never have to deal with… _this_.

It was just after the disaster that had been Sonoko’s little magician get together. Conan had gotten sick, had been sick _before_ the whole ordeal, but still managed to find the murderer and bring the truth to light. Not only that, he’d also divested Kaitou KID of his, admittedly well-crafted, disguise and nearly had the thief in handcuffs before the man had gotten away. To be honest, Conan thought that would be the end of it.

Then a bouquet of a dozen Yellow Daffodils was sent to the Mouri Detective Agency with his name on them.

“Daffodils?” Mouri grunted as he scratched his head. “Why is the brat getting flowers?”

“Maybe he has a secret admirer?” Ran frowned, looking at the flowers with concern. “But… typically, it’s the _girls_ that get flowers… and at such a young age?”

Conan glared at the vase she’d felt the need to put them in. Yellow Daffodils, ugh. Did the thief have to be so transparent?

_Respect_.

Yeah, respect the detective that will put his butt behind bars! What the thief should have done was _fear_ him, not _respect_ him! And sending flowers like this –he wasn’t some girl, you know!

Conan squashed the little part of him that warmed at the acknowledgement. What good was a criminal’s respect?

*             *             *             *             *

The next set of flowers came after Conan had met Hakuba Saguru and a number of other famous detectives in the strangest trap he’d ever come across. He’d known from the very beginning that it wasn’t KID behind the mansion and poisoning. It’s not that he respected the thief or anything, but it very obviously fell outside of the other’s MO. Hakuba had agreed with him.

When Conan had revealed the true plot and gotten the other detectives to play along, it was all too easy to uncover the mastermind and set in motion the mansion’s true treasure. Unfortunately, in all the dramatics, he missed his chance to nab KID with his tranquilizer and the thief tumbled after the old lady and escaped into the picturesque sunrise.

When he got home, a half-dozen Bluebells were waiting on the doorstep.

“How pretty!” Ran cooed, bending to pick them up. It looked like they had appeared in their own vase this time, no need to procure a new one. “And just in time too! The Daffodils are starting to look wilted.”

Conan stared hard at the flowers, pondering them. Bluebells stood for gratitude, but what was the thief grateful for? For Conan allowing him to attend the meeting of detectives? For capturing the one who tried to frame him? For believing in KID in the first place?

It was a truly puzzling gift indeed.

*             *             *             *             *

Before the Daffodils had wilted entirely, Ran had taken one aside, cut it to a shorter length and pressed it between the pages of an old newspaper and the weight of several books. She had done the same with one of the Bluebells, smiling when Conan gave her a confused look.

“You may not understand now, but each memory should be treasured,” she said with a misty look in her eyes. “You may look back on this one day and wonder who those flowers were from and what they meant and you may never get an answer, but at least you’ll have a reminder.

Conan frowned at her words and the way her look turned far off.

He put in an order for an arrangement of _Sagis_ _ō_ and Lotus to be delivered to their door with her name on it. The way she lit up at the sight made the ache in his heart ease.

She pressed one of each.

*             *             *             *             *

The next KID heist Conan attended, he _knew_ the thief was showing off because of him. The day the reply to Jirokichi’s challenge made it onto the news, a new bouquet appeared –a combinations of Hydrangea, Morning Glories and four-leaf Clovers (how did he _find_ so many?!).

_Pride, Willful promises, and Luck_. Conan listed to himself. No doubt the thief was going to try some new stunt that would reinforce his ‘magician’ title. Conan wanted to scoff at KID’s ego. Pigs would fly before Conan gave him any sort of recognition.

*             *             *             *             *

Well… pigs didn’t fly.

The phantom thief sure did.

KID had hung in mid-air, hands lazy in his pockets, and _walked_ towards Jirokichi’s prized gem. Conan had ran to the railing of the building to get a better look, but… he couldn’t see anything. Couldn’t see any strings or other hovering devices.

KID was _walking on air_.

Afterwards, Conan found _another_ arrangement on his doorstep, one made of red and yellow poppies – _fun-loving, success –_ and gnashed his teeth.

This wasn’t KID’s win, not yet!

*             *             *             *             *

Not for the first time, Conan had to wonder about KID’s mental state. After discovering KID had disguised himself as Jirokichi and stolen the blue gem, Conan had taken a risk and climbed into the eccentric advisor’s side car and waited until KID was on the road to spring his trap.

KID had ejected the side car with Conan and his prize still in it. Conan was sure it was sheer luck that kept him from getting hurt, but at least KID had stopped and looked back to make sure he wouldn’t need to call an ambulance.

Conan didn’t care too much. He’d done what he’d tasked himself to do.

Then he set fire to KID’s ride.

Hey, it was only fair.

*             *             *             *             *

The response he got from KID was exactly as Conan expected. A slightly chaotic array of striped Carnations, Eglantine, and Gladiolus – _refusal_ , _a wound to heal_ and _strength of character, honor, conviction_ –told Conan all he needed to know about the criminal’s affronted reaction to Conan’s own reply.

A single Freesia shoved into a leather jacket pocket – _childish/immature_.

The new bouquet also came with a card and an address. Sadly, the address was to an empty street corner with no residential buildings in sight. Never-the-less, Conan sent a reply to it: _Suisen_.

Less for its meaning ( _self-esteem_ ) and more for its English equivalent name: _Narcissus_.

*             *             *             *             *

The next time they met, it wasn’t at a heist. At least, not a publicized one.

Conan had been on a camping trip with the kids and hadn’t thought twice about a cabin in the woods. When the cabin turned out to be a death sentence teeming with traps and tricks of all kinds, Conan’s response… _probably_ wasn’t normal.

Instead of running the other way, he’d wandered further in, intrigued and curious.

The Shounen Tantei had obviously followed.

Conan would admit: without KID’s help, they may not have made it back out.

Not for the traps, oh no. Conan had those down-pat. It was the mercenaries and bounty hunters that followed the promise of treasure that would have put an end to the Shounen Tantei-dan’s short lives and Haibara and Conan’s not-as-short lives.

As such, it was his turn to send a bouquet of gratitude – a combination of Campanula and Canterbury Bells, blue and purple flowers that had similar appearances, as well as a few peonies in contribution to KID’s bravery. Between a rock and a hard place, KID had done the best he could do.

Now, Conan hadn’t been sure that his messages were getting across. He didn’t know if delivery services would just leave vases on the sidewalk for any person to take and he wasn’t entirely sure he hadn’t messed up his chance by checking out the place himself. If KID thought the location had been compromised, would he come to pick up any flowers left behind?

Conan’s questions were answered not two days later with the arrival of a new set of flowers –Anemone, Thorn-apple and, surprisingly enough, Viscaria.

Conan knew before Ran ever told him about KID’s latest heist notice –one that seemed _off_.

_Sincerity, Disguise and an invitation to dance, indeed._

*             *             *             *             *

Conan hated that KID’s heist, the one place that he _hadn’t_ tainted with a murder yet, had finally fallen victim to Conan’s seemingly endless luck.

Good luck for Conan, bad luck for KID as it drew in Division One to his stage. Bad luck for the victim because he was… well, dead.

Conan figured out who KID had disguised himself as when Takagi spoke of a magic trick Satou had already seen. He could have revealed the thief right then and there, but… he needed help. And KID, at least, respected him.

The image of Yellow Daffodils flitted through his mind for a brief moment before he set to work.

Later, he would send a mix of Columbine and Campanula – _ingratitude_ and _gratitude_ –because he was contrary like that.

It didn’t matter to KID. Conan received a Crocus – _youthful joy, abuse not_.

Message received.

*             *             *             *             *

Witch Hazel, Hollyhock and Dandelion made up the next gift to shadow Conan’s doorstep. It was obviously another heist, most likely something similar to KID’s mid-air walk –what with Witch Hazel literally meaning _a magic spell_. The other two – _ambition and overcoming hardship_ –were just more of KID’s taunts.

“If we keep getting these,” Ran noted, giving the newest arrangement a hard look, “we’ll need to get more vases. You sure are popular, huh?”

Conan’s shoulders drew up to his ears. Ran had faithfully pressed one of each type of flower he’d received thus far. When they’d dried and flattened, she’d put them through a laminator to make little bookmarks for Conan to use for the few books he allowed himself to buy as _Conan_. They typically found themselves a place on her desk next to her own two flowers.

He was up to… what? Ten? Fifteen?

His pile far outweighed hers.

The next bouquet to arrive on their door was addressed to Ran, holding an assortment of Azalea and yellow Camellia – _patience and longing_.

She smiled at the arrangement, but it wasn’t as bright as the first time. The ache in Conan’s heart didn’t ease, but KID’s heist was that night and he needed to get his head in the game.

He’d catch that thief once and for all.

*             *             *             *             *

Mint and purple Heather – _suspicious admiration_.

Conan had to begrudgingly admit, the trick KID pulled off required a very creative mind to think up. Had KID not covered up a word on the electric sign, Conan would _never_ have figured out just how KID did that trick. And then throwing off his dark cape anyway? To show the crowd that he’d appeared on the side of a building?

That took guts.

What Conan got as a response though, Orchids and Plumeria ( _refined beauty_ and _perfection_ ) was a little too haughty for his tastes.

Conan sent back more Narcissus and Freesia to a reply of a bundle of Red Dahlia – _betrayal and dishonesty_.

*             *             *             *             *

The next flower Conan got was simply that, a single, lone flower.

Verbena, _cooperation_.

Conan didn’t understand its meaning until Ran presented him with KID’s latest heist notice challenging Jirokichi’s safe –the strongest in the world.

But the KID caricature… it was off. And the words, they sounded too old. It was almost like…

A code.

For KID.

Jirokichi was asking for help and KID wanted Conan’s cooperation going forward. Whatever reason Jirokichi had to ask KID, his self-proclaimed rival, for help, it was something KID didn’t want to mess around with. The only times Conan knew of that would make KID drop his childish act were those where someone’s life hung in the balance.

Conan sent an assortment of Carnations –all solid colors, none yellow.

_Yes._

*             *             *             *             *

He’s glad he did. Otherwise Jirokichi’s dog, Lupin, wouldn’t have made it out alive.

KID sent a wreath of Agrimony – _thankfulness_.

Conan sent back yellow Carnations, white Heather and a small potted houseleek – _rejection, protection_ and _domestic economy_.

It wasn’t anything to be thanked for. Conan was just doing what any humane person would.

KID’s response of Honeysuckle and purple Heather made him blush.

*             *             *             *             *

The next time a Verbena showed up, Conan was curious. It wasn’t alone like the first had been. Instead, it came potted and overflowing with tiny purple flowers.

Conan had sent small pot of Mint before he got accosted outside his school with the rest of the Shounen Tantei.

The embarrassment of the whole situation justified the four dozen Yellow Carnations he sent KID’s way.

*             *             *             *             *

Afterwards, Conan received a plant he didn’t recognize. After checking out a few plant books from the library, he eventually came up with _Ruta graveolens_ or more commonly Rue.

_Regret, sorrow, repentance_.

Conan replied with a bunch of Yellow Carnations and Orange Lilies – _rejection and hatred/revenge_.

Being zapped with a Taser hurt.

One soccer ball to the back was not enough to even the score.

*             *             *             *             *

Thorn Apple again with Thistle and a few sprigs from a Maple tree, seeds mainly – _disguise, warning_ and _messenger_.

This heist was unique in that KID was _returning_ stolen objects instead of taking more. It certainly left Conan itching to confront the thief, but he was sure that Jirokichi would be upset if he did so. Instead, Conan kept to the background, trying to guess which day it would rain on and doing his best to get the inspector to realize the hints in the notice without being _too_ obvious.

The counterfeiters were all too easy to apprehend. KID did most of the work for him.

He still ended up confronting the thief before KID had a chance to run off and learned a thing or two more about Kaitou KID and the Phantom Lady than he had ever expected to.

But KID was returning artifacts of one of his mom’s favorite historical figures, so Conan couldn’t bring himself to stall KID any longer than necessary.

Next time, though, all bets were off.

(Conan tried very hard not to think of the pile of pressed flower bookmarks that littered Ran’s desk. A near thirty to her four. He sent more flowers her way, Pansies and Morning Glories, but when they arrived, she didn’t smile. Instead, that faraway look in her eyes grew mistier.

She didn’t come out of her room that night.)

*             *             *             *             *

The next heist changed everything.

Conan didn’t know there was a heist on the mystery train until they were already on it. He didn’t realize the Black Organization was _on_ the train, until it was already pulling away from the station. He didn’t realize he and Haibara were in _danger_ , until the train was hurtling away from the station on a one-way trip to the afterlife.

Conan was lucky his parents were on the train. He was lucky he and his mother had a special immunity with Vermouth, for whatever it amounted to. He was _lucky_ that KID was already on board and more than willing to help for the price of Conan keeping his mouth shut.

He didn’t expect Bourbon. He didn’t expect his mother’s plan to fail. He didn’t expect KID to trap himself in the last car in the train –the one filled with _bombs_.

Conan was far too relieved when he got the call from the thief afterwards. Despite the fact that the other was a criminal, Conan really didn’t want to see KID in the obituary (if he would even recognize the phantom thief’s face).

It was smarts and will-power and sheer _luck_ that everyone made it out alive from the ordeal. Haibara was no longer being hunted as far as they were aware and the Black Organization was none the wiser about Conan’s survival. For once, Conan felt he could relax.

Then the flower arrive. Singular, again, marking KID’s insistent request. A lonely White Chrysanthemum – _Truth_.

Conan should have known the thief wouldn’t let him get away without explaining something. Knowing a train is full of potential terrorists? After a friend that is far too young and far too close to Conan to have anything to do with said hitmen? Having plan after plan after _backup plan_ to deliver everyone to their destination by the skin of his teeth?

Conan would have asked questions too.

He tried to figure out the best way to tell KID, but every speech he practiced didn’t sound right. It wasn’t like Hattori who had figured it out beforehand and just needed details. KID had no idea how old Conan –how old _Shinichi_ really was and he doubted the thief would believe him if he just came out and told the truth.

Eventually, he just used the tried-and-true method.

He sent a _Kuroyuri_ or Black Lily, even though its petals were a deep violet rather than black.

_Cursed_.

KID replied with a Blue Rose, which first made Conan blush before he remembered that some of the more popular flowers had a variety of meanings. A quick internet search turned up _Love at first sight, attaining the impossible_ , and _mystery_.

Conan hardly thought it was the first option, so KID most likely was saying either “That’s impossible” or “What do you mean, cursed?”

Since it was ‘attaining’ the impossible, KID must actually believe him, so it had to be the last option. It was a question, but how was Conan supposed to answer?

He decided to send two arrangements to be delivered within hours of each other. Both would contain sprigs of Cherry Blossom, which meant a transience of life or, more simply, the passing of time until death. In the first bundle, he requested eight sprigs, while in the second, he requested sixteen. In the first bundle, he also asked for a single yellow Carnation and in the second, a multitude of other carnations, all solid colors and none yellow.

Conan’s interpretation of the first bundle was _eight years, rejection_ and the second was _sixteen years, affirmative_ , but whether KID would understand or not would be another question.

A week went by before Conan heard back. An entire week where he had to sit on his hands and _hope_ that he hadn’t overestimated KID’s intelligence. The thief wrote riddles for every heist notice. Surely he was capable of _solving_ one?

KID’s response loosened something that had wedged itself in Conan’s chest. Rue, Laurestine, Lemon Blossom and Snowdrop – _regret, a token, discretion,_ and _consolation or hope_.

KID believed him. He was sorry that Conan was in this situation and he promised to keep Conan’s secret quiet. It’s all Conan could have asked for.

KID’s next bouquet arrived only hours later. Black Lily again, but only one in the middle of a ring of Blue Rose.

_Curse,_ and _mystery_?

Was KID asking how he got cursed? Why he was? What it entailed?

Conan couldn’t find the words in any of the flowers he knew or looked up online. Eventually, he settled for Red Poppy, Black Rose, Amaranth, and Thistle – _sacrifice and eternal sleep, rebirth, immortality_ , and _warning_. The Black Rose far out-numbered the others, representing the Black Organization, even though Conan knew KID wouldn’t know of them.

Before he finished the order for the arrangement, he asked for a card to be placed inside. He’d written only five words on it, but he knew KID would do his best to make it happen.

_We need to talk._

_-Tantei-kun_

KID’s reply was prompt, arriving the next day. A bundle of White Camellia and Lemon Blossom as well as a card with familiar hand-writing.

_Saturday, 10:15_

_You know where._

_-K_

*             *             *             *             *

Conan wondered if KID would show up in his white suit and top hat. He highly doubted it as that would stand out like a sore-thumb, but as far as he knew, KID was _very_ eccentric. Conan hadn’t been lying when he sent those Freesias.

The corner was just as Conan remembered it. A sign pointed to a bus stop at the corner and several benches had been set up along the stone wall opposite the road for riders waiting for a bus. No one immediately stood out, but Conan was also early by about ten minutes, so he found a free bench furthest away from the bus stop and took a seat.

He didn’t have to wait long.

“Tantei-kun,” a stranger greeted him. No, not stranger. It was KID, but… like the other times Conan found him outside his typical white suit, he didn’t immediately recognize him. KID’s clothes were dark, his eyes shadowed and hair hidden beneath a trendy hat that must come from his typical day wear.

“KID,” Conan greeted as the teen took a seat beside him, a scant six inches between them. This was the closest Conan had been to the thief outside of a heist and it was… weird, to say the least. He kept his eyes on the ground in front of them, waiting for KID to take the lead.

“Curse, death and immortality,” KID said, cutting to the chase. “Tell me about it?”

“I saw something I shouldn’t have and they tried to kill me for it,” Conan stated.

“’They’ being the ones on the train?”

“Yeah,” Conan confirmed. “Poison, or it was supposed to be. Turns out, it had a one in a million chance of turning me into a child –age regression by half your age. I went from being sixteen to eight. Haibara, the girl you disguised yourself as, went from being eighteen to nine.”

“Ah, so that’s where the ‘curse’ comes in,” KID nodded to himself, “and the ‘immortality’?”

“The poison was originally created to be a youth serum,” Conan explained. “The ones that chased us on that train, they’re part of an organization looking for the secret to immortality.”

KID’s breath hitched.

Conan looked at him out of the corner of his eye, curious. “Do you believe me?”

KID let out a bark of a laugh that twisted something in Conan’s chest, but his next words eased the tension. “Hard not to believe you when I, myself, have had a few run ins with them.”

Conan turned on him, blue eyes scanning the relaxed figure in shock. “ _You_?”

“I… was told they were looking for Pandora,” KID said, “a magical gem said to grant immortality.”

“Magic doesn’t exist,” Conan stated.

“Perhaps not,” KID inclined his head, rim of his hat shadowing the rest of his face, “but do you think it matters to them?”

No. It really didn’t.

“How many times have you run into them?” Conan asked before he could stop himself.

“A few times,” KID answered. Eyes gleamed from beneath his hat, but Conan couldn’t pick out a color to them. “Don’t worry. I know how to take care of myself. What about you?”

“… A few times as well,” Conan admitted. “I’ve made some progress on tracking them down. I have a contact for their boss, but… Haibara says using it is a death sentence.”

“Haibara…?”

“She was the one to make the poison,” Conan said, to another hitch in the other’s breathing. “They killed her sister, so she tried to kill herself. Turns out, she was one in a million too.”

“Are you sure it’s wise to trust her?” KID asked, his voice carefully blanked.

“At first, I wasn’t, but now…” Conan frowned and looked down at his hands. “She’s scared of them. Has tried her hardest to escape them. This last time, with your performance, they believe her dead. She can go on leading a normal life.”

“As normal as a shrunken adult can have,” KID noted. “What about you? Living your childhood again, I presume?”

“She can make an antidote,” Conan said. “If she had her old notes, she could turn me back.”

“… Back to who?”

Conan wavered. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to tell KID, it was just… sharing this made everything more _real_ in a way meeting the thief did not. But… if this was going to work between them, he knew he’d have to reveal more than KID would ever be willing to. To know KID’s identity was to put him behind bars. To know Conan’s was to share a burden on two shoulders.

“Back to Kudou Shinichi,” Conan said quietly, eyes tracking the sidewalk and the surroundings. He didn’t feel any eyes on him and the hairs on the back of his neck laid flat. There was no Black Org member around that he could tell.

KID processed the information silently, leaving the surveillance to Conan. After a few moments, he stood, hands in his pockets and turned to leave.

“KI-?”

“I have some thinking to do,” KID said, back to Conan. “It’s a lot of information. I’ll contact you the usual way, yeah?”

Conan wilted slightly, but kept a firm grip on his emotions. Anyone would need a breather after that. Hattori had gone all the way to Osaka to clear his head before he returned. KID was actually handling the whole thing really well.

Conan let out a sigh, “Okay.”

“Also…” KID dug something out of his pocket and held it up to the light. Two laminated cards reflected the sunlight, but a tip of the hand showed their contents. Two flowers, one blue, the other purple, were pressed between –Campanula and Canterbury Bells, ones Conan had sent. “These… did you mean it?”

Conan cocked his head to the side, assessing the thief. It was a simple question, but felt like it had a deeper meaning. But what that was… Conan didn’t know.

Their symbolism, _gratitude_ –did he mean it?

“Yes,” he answered.

“…Okay.” With that, KID put the cards back in his pocket and walked away.

Conan isn’t sure what answer KID wanted. He’s pretty sure he gave the right one.

*             *             *             *             *

When he got home, Ran was talking to Sonoko on the phone. She seemed to be arguing with her, but it sounded like Sonoko was winning.

“Welcome back, Conan!” Ran called when Conan walked in. “Lunch will be ready in about an hour!”

“Okay!” Conan called back as he made his way to his bedroom. As he hung up his jacket, he heard Ran speak again.

“I just… I don’t know, Sonoko,” Ran said, voice muffled by the distance. “After London… I thought something would happen, you know? And he sends me flowers, but… he just feels more distant than ever. I can’t even remember the last time we spoke and he didn’t interrupt with that whole ‘case’ excuse. Maybe… maybe I’m just… seeing things that aren’t there…”

Conan’s grip on the hanger tightened. He bit his lip, battling with himself. He should go out there, tell her she was wrong, that he –that _Shinichi-nii-san_ cared about her and was going to come back. At the same time, she would scold him for eavesdropping and possibly ignore his words because of it. All he really wanted was for her to be happy-!

But it wasn’t going to be with him, was it?

He’d seen the way she reacted to the last flowers, not with happiness or smiles. The painful reminders of him were just that, _painful_ and pointless. It… It would be best for him to stop, if only so _she_ could be happy, could find someone to that would treasure her the way Ran should be treasured.

“At the same time, I don’t think dating is a good idea, Sonoko,” Ran sighed. “I know he and I aren’t… you know… but part of me is still holding on. It hurts to think of giving up, but… it also hurts to think of holding on. To wonder if, years from now, we’ll still be like this –me sitting here, him running off after cases. I just don’t know if I can handle it, Sonoko. I just… I don’t know.”

Conan knew what he had to do.

*             *             *             *             *

The flowers arrived two days later, so that it wouldn’t seem too coincidental.

Rue, Rainflower, Wormwood and Bells of Ireland – _regret, I must atone/I will never forget you, bitter sorrow_ and _luck_.

The Rainflower was the hardest, since it also meant to love someone back, but paired with the other flowers… it was clear that Shinichi meant it in the other connotation.

For the first time in a while, she smiled. Conan saw it from the doorway to his room. The same doorway he stood at days later when she walked out in a dress and high heels, face made up for a date –dates she should have been going on since the beginning.

Conan knew it had to be done, knew he wouldn’t like it. But he would be happy because _she_ was happy.

That’s all that mattered.

*             *             *             *             *

Two weeks after their meeting, KID sent a bouquet of Verbena.

Conan couldn’t help a sigh of relief.

*             *             *             *             *

They worked together, though they rarely met. With the next set of flowers, Conan sent his cellphone number, which KID texted to with the number of a burn phone. If Conan had any information, he’d pass it along and when KID had managed to bait out some members, he recounted the experience and any dialogue he had been privy to.

They still exchanged flowers as their main method of communication. Despite the growing hole in his wallet, Conan couldn’t bring himself to mind, especially when he would lay awake at night and page through the book (yes, _book_ ) of laminated flowers Ran had saved for him, each blossom carefully pressed and dated.

It was like reading his life between the pages of petals and leaves.

Ran was happier too. She went out more, smiled more, seemed to _glow_. It hurt at first, to see just how _much_ Shinichi had dragged her down, but now, it was just the tiniest sting in his heart. He still loved her, would _always_ love her, but he knew she was far happier without him.

Conan was happy to go on like this, exchanging flowers and conversations with KID. Even though KID’s responses held far more Asters, White Carnations and Gardenias than Conan thought necessary, he wouldn’t give it up for the world.

Which made the end come up far too quickly.

Between the two of them, they found a bolt hole with coordinates of the headquarters of the Black Organization. Conan wanted to turn the information over to Jodie and the FBI, but KID was more hesitant.

_Why not tell them?_ Conan texted. _This is the end! We’re almost there! If we don’t strike now, they could move on! It’s now or never, KID!_

KID didn’t reply with a text. Instead, flowers came to Conan’s door, White Camellia and five sprigs of Cherry Blossoms, fake because they weren’t in season, but Conan understood.

_Wait for five_ … but five what? Days? Week? Conan certainly hoped it wasn’t _years_ in the way he’d used them before. However much he didn’t like it, he didn’t have a choice. KID had never let him down before, there was no reason to doubt him now.

He sent a plethora of solid colored Carnations and waited.

And waited.

And _waited_.

His answer came one week later (six days, really, but who’s counting?) in the form of Laurels and Yellow Poppies – _Success_.

His phone buzzed with a new text.

_Friday, midnight._

_-K_

*             *             *             *             *

When Conan arrived, KID was already sitting and waiting on their usual bench. Both hands were in his pockets and his knee jittered just the slightest bit. When KID spotted him, the jittering stopped as a wide grin spread across the teen’s face.

Conan was instantly suspicious. “What did you do?”

“Nothing much, just a little short notice heist that had some very promising results.” KID’s grin widened as he pulled his left hand from his pocket. Pinched between his fingers was a _very familiar_ pill.

Conan’s breath caught. “You…?”

“I know how the police work,” KID said, palming the pill and holding it out for Conan to take. “If we called it in and they managed to take the Organization down, all the samples would be taken as evidence and likely destroyed. If the police _failed_ , the Organization would move on and it’d be years more before we had another chance like this. It was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up.”

“It was stupid and _reckless_!” Conan hissed, hands tightening into fists, even as he glared down at the offered pill. “You could have gotten hurt! You could have gotten exposed! You could have _died_!”

“But I didn’t,” KID replied easily.

“But you _could have_ ,” Conan emphasized before letting out a huff of exasperation and finally plucking the pill from the thief’s open palm. “You could have _at least_ told me about it.”

“But then you would have worried.” KID cocked his head to the side. “Or tried to join me. I know you, Shinichi.”

Conan’s breath caught for a second time.

It had started a while ago –KID calling him Shinichi. At first, it was just through text. Conan thought, maybe KID was trying to remind himself that the child he was working with was an actual adult like KID. But then, why didn’t he use his last name?

Conan let it go the first few times and then… never really stopped him. It may have been selfish and cunning on his part, but hearing his name from KID’s lips… his stomach got a fluttery feeling that he wasn’t really opposed to.

“Still, a little _warning_ would have been nice,” Conan grumbled as he put the pill in an inner pocket of his jacket and zipped it in. The last thing he wanted to do was have it fall out and get lost. KID went through a _lot_ of trouble to get it after all.

“It is the right one, right?” KID asked to confirm.

“Yeah,” Conan said. “I’d recognize it anywhere. Haibara should be able to make an antidote out of it and then…”

Then he’d be back to being Kudou Shinichi.

But who was Kudou Shinichi anymore?

He shook his head to clear his thoughts. He’d worry about that later. One step at a time.

“If I get it to her tonight, she might have time over the weekend to make some progress,” Conan said, turning on his heel. “Thanks, KID. I really appreci-!”

“Wait!”

Conan paused and looked back over his shoulder. KID was fidgeting again, something Conan _rarely_ saw the teen do. Sure he’d pull out a coin to roll across his knuckles every now and again and he had a habit of making writing utensils disappear… but KID never twitched or fidgeted unnecessarily. Conan half-thought the other had trained that response out of himself.

So the fact that KID was nervous enough to do so…

“Is there something else?” Conan asked, eyes running up and down the thief’s form, perplexed.

“I… I wanted to…” KID let out an aggravated huff and drew his left hand down his face before shoving his right hand out, fingers in a fist. Conan cocked his head to the side, wondering what he was supposed to do with that –when KID’s thumb flicked out of the way and a flower appeared in its place.

“It was doubled over in the palm of your hand,” Conan said without thought, then his brain caught up with his eyes. A third time that evening, his breath caught, only this time, he choked.

Tiny blue flowers.

Forget-me-nots.

_True Love_.

Conan stared… and stared and _stared_. His brain ran on overtime, trying to put everything together, but he was _struggling_ _here, how could he not see-?!_

He took too long.

“Ah, I…” KID’s left hand rubbed at his neck. “I guess White Tulips would have been more appropriate, ne?”

“KID-!” Conan started, voice wavering with all the emotions and chaos running around in his head. _How had he missed-?_

“It’s fine! It’s fine, Tantei-kun.” KID’s right hand withdrew. The flower stowed away in his pocket as the thief stood, hat low on his brow. “Flowers have many meanings after all. I guess I just… misinterpreted.”

“KID, I-!” Conan didn’t know what he wanted to say, but he didn’t get the chance.

“I have to go now. Got an early morning planned,” KID said as he quickly started off. “Give my regards to Ojou-chan, ‘kay?”

Conan watched the thief flee. Confusion swam in his mind as KID turned left at the far end of the block and something fell to the ground. His feet carried him forward without his permission and his hand reached down to collect the fallen item.

The Forget-me-not, stem bent and petals crumpled, lying just far enough in the street to show that they hadn’t been dropped, they’d been _thrown_.

*             *             *             *             *

“I don’t know what to do,” Conan confessed to Haibara. They were in Agasa’s basement where Haibara had taken over to make a lab of her own. The tiny scientist in question was at the computer, running diagnostics and calculations based on the sample Conan had brought back. Conan, himself, was laying on the floor, eyes staring up at the ceiling in despair.

“Give him an answer,” Haibara said matter-of-factly. “You like him, right? So it should be easy.”

“Wha-? I do _not_!” Conan sat up abruptly, causing the room to spin a little. “I mean, I like him as a friend, but I don’t know about… about… _this_!”

Haibara turned to give him an unamused look. “You have been receiving flowers from him for the past several _months_ –and have been _sending_ _them_ in return. You have already let Mouri-san go and don’t even come here anymore to sulk over her going out on dates. You _let_ him call you by your first name in all your conversations.”

“I didn’t _let_ him!” Conan protested. “He did it all on his own!”

Haibara raised an eyebrow. “You didn’t stop him.”

Conan felt his cheeks warm. Yeah, that was true. He didn’t.

“So send him a text and explain,” Haibara said, as she turned back to her screen. “Or don’t and let another person too good for you pass you by. I don’t care which one, but _choose_ and stop sulking on my floor.”

“I’m not sulking,” Conan grumbled, but he got to his feet and went upstairs. He waved good-night to Agasa and headed back to the Mouri Detective Agency, taking the time to think as he walked.

Did he like KID?

Conan respected him for sure, both as a rival and friend. He knew he could trust the other and depend on him when it came down to matters like the Black Organization and Shinichi’s own identity. He certainly enjoyed their back-and-forth where the flowers were concerned. A new bouquet on his doorstep always made Conan’s day.

But ‘like’?

‘Love’?

He… didn’t know KID well enough to say ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to that… but that’s not true, was it? He knew that KID liked to perform, loved magic like it was the very air he breathed. He knew KID would rather put _himself_ in harm’s way, than allow even a stranger to get hurt –especially at heists.

And heists… after KID explained the reason he went after gems, it was almost a non-issue. Sure, he wasted Division Two’s time, but KID always gave the gems back and many of the property damages incurred were paid for by an ‘anonymous’ donor. KID was doing the best with what he had and, between the two of them, it had been enough.

And he… Conan _liked_ the way the other smiled. Liked the way the other would laugh at Conan’s rather bland jokes. Liked the genuine smile that Conan could see appear from time to time, the hint of bright eyes beneath the shadow of a hat. Conan found him charming, but…

He didn’t know if it was ‘like’ or ‘love’, not the way the thief knew, not the way the Forget-me-not in Conan’s pocket spoke. Conan didn’t know.

But he wanted to find out.

*             *             *             *             *

When he got back that night, Conan sent KID’s phone a text.

_Hey, let’s meet up again. I want to talk about *that*._

A reply came within seconds.

_The number you are trying to reach has been disconnected. Your message was returned via the Instant Messenger Return service._

Conan’s heart beat a loud drum in his ear.

_KID? What’s going on?_

_The number you are trying to reach has been disconnected. Your message was returned via the Instant Messenger Return service._

_This isn’t funny!_

_The number you are trying to reach has been disconnected. Your message was returned via the Instant Messenger Return service._

_You can’t just get rid of your phone when you don’t want to talk to me!_

_The number you are trying to reach has been disconnected. Your message was returned via the Instant Messenger Return service._

_You bastard! I hate |_

Conan gritted his teeth, biting down on the hurt and anger that threatened to overwhelm him. He rubbed at the blurry screen again and again before he realized –it wasn’t the screen. It was his _eyes_ that were blurry, filled with tears that spilled over and dropped down on to the glass face of his phone.

How could KID do this to him? After…?

The Forget-me-nots found themselves in a similar situation as earlier, crumpled into the hand of an emotional teen –even if the hand was not as big.

*             *             *             *             *

The weekend passed and Conan tried a few more times before admitting that what he was doing, wasn’t working.

“I don’t know what to do,” Conan confessed again, feeling like a broken record. He had arrived at Agasa’s house late on Sunday. Haibara had given him a call saying that she’d finished the antidote, but they had some planning to do and cover stories to make before she let him use it.

“I told you to choose one,” Haibara gave him a pointed look. “Just make up your mind.”

“I _did_!” Conan huffed, “but it’s kind of hard to follow through when the other person wants nothing to do with you!”

Haibara stared at him for a few moments before closing the notebook she’d had open and folding her hands into her lap. “So he got rid of his burn phone so that you couldn’t contact him. Isn’t there another way to contact him?”

Conan stared at her.

“The flowers?” she prompted.

Conan sighed, “I have an address… but it leads to an empty corner and a bus stop. No residential areas that I saw, so it’s not like I can go up to his house or anything. He probably wouldn’t want to talk to me anyway.”

“He must have chosen that corner for a reason, right? And had a reason to _keep_ using it?” Haibara asked. “Otherwise, he could have given the address of any old place and changed it multiple times –which would have been smarter, given his occupation.”

“A reason…” Conan crossed his arms in thought. “It… would have to be somewhere close to his normal routes. Otherwise he’d have to go out of his way each day to check for flowers or responses, since there’s no one to receive them. And if he’s going to check, why not make it somewhere he… _passes every day!_ Haibara, you’re a genius!”

“Flattered,” Haibara deadpanned before opening her notebook up again. “Now, before you go off to win back your thief, might I suggest we get this timing down for Edogawa Conan leaving and Kudou Shinichi returning?”

*             *             *             *             *

Conan’s plan went like this: send flowers every week until he heard a reply back.

“Stubborn and straight forward,” Haibara had said with a hint of amusement. “Just like you.”

From receiving so many flowers, Conan knew that cut ones died after roughly a week. Or, at least, _his_ did. He wasn’t too good at taking care of them, too forgetful, so they usually died sooner rather than later. Assuming KID left the flowers there each time instead of taking them in, Conan guessed they would last about as long as flowers in his care did.

The second part of the plan was the _kinds_ of flowers Conan sent.

Star of Bethlehem – _atonement, reconciliation._

White Clover – _I promise_.

Ambrosia – _love is reciprocated._

By the end of the first week, his parents had returned to play the part of Conan’s parents as Conan ‘returned’ to America.

He ordered the next bouquet before he took the antidote and was laid out for a full three days.

Star of Bethlehem – _atonement, reconciliation._

White Clover – _I promise_.

Red Chrysanthemum – _I love._

After recovering from the shock to his system, Shinichi took another four days to rest up, replenish his energy (and carbs and proteins –growing three times your size in one sitting is hard work). His mom gave him funny looks when he called in the next order. His dad just wore a smug, knowing smirk.

Star of Bethlehem – _atonement, reconciliation._

White Clover – _I promise_.

Clovenlip toadflax– _Please notice my feelings for you._

The next week, he was attending classes, greeting Ran amicably as Sonoko wondered about their sudden fall back into friends rather than sweethearts. He tried to pay attention in school and work in the brief glances of Ran’s homework he’d seen through the year to hurry along his understanding, but…

It’d been a month. He was passed worried and into pissed.

Star of Bethlehem – _atonement, reconciliation._

White Clover – _I promise_.

_Jonquil_ – _Love me, dammit!_

Okay, so that last one was a little paraphrased. It really meant ‘return my affection’, but Shinichi was getting fed up by this point. Both of his parents were now sending him knowing looks and Ran had started sending him worried glances.

If KID would just _respond_ already, that would make everything so much easier!

“Is something wrong, Shinichi?” Ran asked, voice filled with concern.

Shinichi sighed and shook his head. “Nothing. I’m just waiting for a reply, but some stupid idiot is being stubborn.”

“Did you make them mad?” she gave him an unimpressed look. “You made them mad, didn’t you?”

“No! I didn’t!” Shinichi protested, then winced. “At least… not on purpose.”

“It’s never on purpose with you,” Ran rolled her eyes. “Just get them some flowers in apology. I’m sure that will work.”

_That’s what I’m trying_. Shinichi chewed on his tongue. “Yeah, thanks.”

“Oh! I know!” Ran perked up. “You can have some of mine!”

Shinichi stopped in his tracks. “Yours?”

“Well, Conan’s,” Ran amended with a slight frown. “He’s had a secret admirer sending him flowers for months now. At first, I was worried, but… nothing seemed to come of it? Anyway, he must not have told them he was going back to America, because flowers keep arriving at our doorstep. I think we’ve got four bouquets or so by now.”

Well… Shinichi felt stupid.

“Mind if I take a look at them?” Shinichi forced a grin. “Since you’ve got so many?”

Ran shrugged and turned to lead him to her house. “Sure! Though I will say, some have started to wilt. I’ve pressed a lot for Conan, so if you wouldn’t mind taking them with you when you see him next, I think he’d like that.”

“I’m sure he would,” Shinichi replied.

*             *             *             *             *

Shinichi almost couldn’t believe his eyes.

Flowers. Flowers _everywhere_.

Mint and Purple Lilac – _suspicion_ and _first emotions of love._

Arbutus and Mallow – _You are the only one I love_ and _consumed by love._

Amaranth and Jasmine – _Immortal love_ and _eternal, unconditional love._

Coriander, Lime Blossom and Mistletoe – _Lust, fornication_ and _sex_.

Shinichi hid his face at the last one, fearing Ran would notice the bright red blush on his cheeks.

“I know some of the meanings,” she said as she handled the newest bouquet, “but I can’t remember a lot of them. I also can’t tell some of these flowers apart… but I think you took that class with me on flower language, right?”

“Um…” Shinichi’s voice cracked. He coughed, swallowed, and tried again. It came out as a squeak. “Yeah?”

“Do you remember what these are?” Ran lifted the Lime Blossom and –nope. Nope, nope, nope. Not today. Shinichi could _not_ deal with this today.

“Sorry, I have no idea,” he said as he backed away, intent on escaping. “You know, it’s getting late and all! How about I come back over tomorrow?”

She frowned at him. “But you’re already here?”

“It’s, uh…” _excuse, excuse! Think of an excuse!_ “too dark to really take in their beauty, you know? Flowers are best observed in the day time.”

“Hmm…” she looked down at the vase in her hands. “I guess that’s true. Well, see you tomorrow then!”

“Y-Yeah!” with that, he scurried out the door.

And ran into a person at the bottom of the steps.

“Oof!” Shinichi grunted as he landed on his hip. Across from him, the other person was in a similar state. “Ow…”

“… Kudou Shinichi?” the other person asked without preamble.

Shinichi froze. While it’s true that he had been famous at one point, his long absence had taken most of that notoriety away. Very few people recognized him on the streets anymore and those most likely to were…

Hattori.

The Black Organization.

… Kaitou KID.

Looking up, Shinichi felt his eyes widen at a familiar silhouette. The sun had sunk behind the buildings and the street lamps had yet to turn on, so there was little to no light to see, but that didn’t matter. Shinichi would know that shadowy figure anywhere.

“Kaitou KID…” he breathed, his voice a whisper on the wind.

“Kuroba Kaito, actually,” the thi – _ex_ -thief said as he stood and brushed himself off. He offered Shinichi a hand. “Got my message?”

“Took you long enough,” Shinichi grumbled as he allowed the other to pull him to his feet. “I was starting to wonder if you were ignoring me on purpose.”

“Me? I was worried _you_ were!” KID –Kuroba – _Kaito_ complained. “I sent you a reply the first week! I was good to start then! And then you just kept _sending_ them! That last one, by the way, _really_ desperate.”

“Desperate? I was pissed!” Shinichi hissed as he started down the street. Kaito kept up easily. “And if you want to talk _desperate_ , what about that last one you sent?! Lime Blossom? _Mistletoe!?_ ”

“I thought my efforts weren’t coming across,” Kaito shrugged, head resting back on his arms. “I wanted to make sure there weren’t any misunderstandings like the first time.”

Shinichi’s pace slowed. Kaito looked back, curious. “It… wasn’t a misunderstanding. I was just… _surprised_. I hadn’t known…”

“Why would you be so surprised?” Kaito asked, shifting to put his hands in his pockets. “I thought it’s what you wanted.”

“… What?” Shinichi asked dumbly as the two turned route from downtown to the more residential area.

“I mean, I _did_ check with you first to make sure.” Kaito raised an eyebrow and took two laminated cards from his pocket –two _very familiar_ cards. “I asked if you meant it. You said yes.”

“… and I did?” Shinichi frowned. “Campanula and Canterbury Bells mean gratitude.”

Kaito stared at him for a long moment before cocking his head to the side, “You know those are both bellflowers, right?”

Bellflowers – _unwavering love_.

“What? No!” Shinichi fumbled, realizing just _where_ the misunderstanding had occurred. “I didn’t mean-! You _know_ I didn’t mean-! Well, I mean, I mean it _now_ , but-!”

“At first, I was kind of put off,” Kaito continued, making the cards disappear into thin air. “You were eight years old. I was sixteen. I thought for sure it was just some phase for you and really, who would date an elementary student?”

Shinichi’s face heated.

“Then you sent me the _Kuroyuri_ and the Cherry Blossoms and suddenly, it all made _a lot_ more sense,” Kaito went on. “Then, it was just a matter of _seeing you_ , rather than just seeing what _they_ did to you.”

“…Well…” Shinichi sighed and slung his bag over his shoulder. “You weren’t wrong. After a while, I found myself looking forward to your replies, to our meetings, to your heists. I… couldn’t imagine a world without you in it. I’m sorry I was so stupid when you bared your heart to me. I was an idiot.”

“I won’t argue with that,” Kaito looked back to scowl at Shinichi. “What did you think all those Asters, White Carnations and Gardenias were about? Joy? Loyalty? _Daintiness_?”

“Well, when you put it _that way_ …” Shinichi grumbled under his breath.

Kaito shot him an incredulous look. A laugh startled out of him, “I can’t believe you!”

“You mistook ‘gratitude’ for ‘love’!” Shinichi argued. “I don’t need to hear it from you! Besides, we’ve already decided that I’m an idiot.”

“Yeah… but I think you made it up to me by leaps and bounds.” Kaito tilted his head to shoot Shinichi a grin. His face lit up in the occasional street lamp, making him appear even more ethereal.

That cheeky grin was infectious.

“By the way, where are we going?” Kaito asked. Houses had sprung up all around them and the sun had sank long ago.

“Where do you think?” Shinichi asked, stopping outside a very familiar gate. He pushed it open and cocked his head to the side. “I thought you wanted Mistletoe and Lime Blossom?”

It took a second for Kaito to figure it out, then his face flushed red.

“Wait, _now_?!”

“I’m joking. I’d rather get to know you, _Kuroba Kaito_ , more before we get anywhere close to that. I figured it’d be easiest if we could hang out and talk,” Shinichi shrugged. “But if you don’t want to…”

“Nope! No way! You offered! No take-backs!”

Shinichi’s face split in a grin as Kaito hurried past him. As he followed him in, Shinichi yelled out to the rest of the house. “CORIANDER!”

Kaito paused at the top of the stairs, frowning. “I thought you said we weren’t…?”

Shinichi’s grin grew into a smirk. “Yeah, but my parents don’t know that. They deserve it after the suffering they put me through.”

Down below, Yukiko tilted her head to the side in confusion when her son yelled out the name of a random spice. She knew that he’d recently picked up a liking for the language of flowers, but she hadn’t paid it much attention. Now she was regretting not studying up.

“Yuu-chan, what did Shin-chan just yell?” Yukiko asked her husband.

“Um…” Pale-faced, Yuusaku shot her a nervous smile. “Why don’t we go out to eat tonight, honey? That fancy restaurant you like downtown?”

“Oh! Sure! Let me just put on some make-up-!”

“You look great just the way you are!” The man hurried his wife out of the house.

*             *             *             *             *

The two teens talked long into the night, so long that the last train had left the station and Kaito found himself stranded, though not without shelter for the night. Shinichi was more than happy to lend him a set of pajamas and clothes the next day. The two ended up falling asleep in the middle of their catching up.

In the morning, Shinichi came out of the shower to find Kaito leafing through the scrapbook Ran had made for Conan –all the flowers the ex-thief had sent him.

“You really kept all these?” Kaito snickered, but his voice held a slight tension that didn’t go unnoticed.

“Ran pressed them for me and laminated them,” Shinichi grumbled, flopping down next to his… friend? Boyfriend? Lover? Ah, he’d get to names later.

“But you didn’t have to _keep_ them,” Kaito insisted.

“… I like them,” Shinichi admitted quietly. He looked over to lock eyes with Kaito. “They remind me of you.”

Kaito’s breath caught. Shinichi watched the thief’s throat bob before lips were on his and Kaito clambered over him.

The scrapbook dropped to the floor, last page falling open. A small tuft of crumpled blue petals pressed between two sheets of plastic.

Forget-me-not.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tried to get every flower meaning, but here are some links:  
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plant_symbolism  
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanakotoba
> 
>  


	2. ABO... in Space!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ABO in space... pretty self-explanatory.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Detective Conan or Magic Kaito, only the events in this fic.
> 
> PS- So, people wanted more ABO. I struggled a bit while writing this because I don't want to write the more sexual scenes. So, if I get reviews saying 'it's not sexy enough', I *will* take it down. Then there won't be a problem.
> 
> I wrote this mainly to mess with the dynamics of characters in a new environment and new add-ons. Unfortunately, that does mean that I have to touch heats and ruts at some point, as much as I would like not to. 
> 
> If ABO or Space AU is not your thing, feel free to check out one of my other fics which have neither. I will say that this is more heavy on the ABO than it is on the Space.
> 
>    
> Prompts:  
> kitsunecrayon: but like I also live for your SGN and ABO stuff <33  
> Infestation: Star Trek/human-alien relations au  
> Procrastination_Sensation: I really liked the abo one you did already  
> zeynel: Star Trek ?

“ _Dammit_!” Heiji cursed as he tore into the living room. “Where the hell is my jacket!?”

“Language,” Hakuba reminded mildly, flipping a page in his book.

Kudou looked up from where he and Kuroba were settled on the couch. “Didn’t you have it yesterday?”

“Yes, I did!” Heiji snarled. “Which is why this is driving me crazy!”

“Have you checked the laundry?” Kudou suggested.

“Yes, I did!” Heiji huffed. “Even though I _know_ I left it in my room! So _someone_ must have taken it!”

“Hattori-san, don’t you think you’re overreacting a little?” Hakuba finally looked up from his book to glare at the alpha, wrinkling his nose at the pungent smell of anger in the air. “It’s just a jacket.”

“It’s not _just a jacket_ ,” Heiji growled, sinking into a combative crouch. “It’s not just _the_ jacket! It’s my socks! And three of my favorite shirts! Even one of my _hats_ has gone missing!”

“You too?” Kudou shifted to more fully face Heiji. “I was wondering if it was just me. Hakuba? Are you missing anything?”

“I… maybe have misplaced my limited edition Sherlock deer-hunting hat… and my favorite scarf… and my old academy jacket,” Hakuba frowned at the table he was seated at. “But it’s a big ship. I’m sure I just left them in the training room or in the locker next to the pool or something. They’ll turn up eventually.”

“Hmm…” Kudou turned his gaze from the beta to the omega leaning against him, videogame in hand. “Kaito?”

“Hmm?” the other boy hummed, intent on the rhythm game between his fingers. His tongue stuck out in concentration.

“Have you lost anything recently?” Kudou asked, a growing suspicion in his mind. “Any clothes or other belongings?”

“Mmm…” Kuroba paused the game to scratch at his chin. “Not that I can think of, but my room is a mess, so I don’t know. Why?”

“… No reason,” the alpha replied, looking back to Heiji. “Sorry, Hattori. I’m sure it will turn up?”

“It better!” Heiji growled. “It’s my favorite jacket!”

With that, he stormed off, back down the residential hallway towards his room to look for the fifth time that morning. He was _sure_ he’d left it on his nightstand, in a crumpled mess, but still _there._

But, just like that morning, the jacket was nowhere to be seen.

Taking a few deep breaths to calm himself, Heiji decided to cut to the chase. Closing his eyes, he breathed evenly, taking apart the scents in his room until he could single out every trail left behind. Normally, he was too impatient to do this and had to wait on Kudou to track down a trail, but it was obvious he wasn’t going to get any help from him.

_His scent, his scent, his –not his scent._

Heiji’s eyes snapped open as he breathed deeply, nose locking onto the unusual trail. It led from the door to his nightstand and back again. It was a few hours old, maybe half a day. The perp must have snuck in when Heiji was in the shower. It was the only explanation.

Now that he had the scent though, he could track his jacket down.

He followed the trail outside and to the right, bypassing Kuroba’s room to his right and Kudou and Hakuba’s rooms to his left. The trail led the opposite way of the lounging area and kitchen, turning towards the bridge instead. However, before he got to the control room, the trail went left to the elevator.

Getting in, Heiji stopped at each floor until he caught the scent again and followed it out to the laundry room. So someone had taken his jacket to get cleaned? But he’d already checked there!

Sighing heavily, Heiji sucked in another breath… only to find _another_ trail, of a different scent. One of the only two trails within the last twenty-four hours, Heiji had no choice but to follow it, considering the other trail doubled back the way he’d come.

The new trail lingered for a while before crossing to a small bedding closet. Heiji opened the door to find half the contents empty, a large space in-between sheets where thick comforters should have been.

The trail twisted away towards a small service stairwell that Heiji hadn’t been aware of, despite living on the ship for nearly four months now. The trail wound its way up the stairs and through the first floor door –putting Heiji back where he started, except…

The scent didn’t end at his door.

It ended at _Kuroba’s_.

Without warning, Heiji threw the door open, nostrils flaring. Kuroba hadn’t been lying about the mess. There were clothes and blankets strewn _everywhere_. Heiji didn’t know how one man could _have_ so many clothes-!

Until he spotted his jacket.

Right next to Hakuba’s stupid Holmes hat.

“Hattori.” It was Kudou. “Step aside.”

Heiji whipped around to glare at the other alpha. “You _knew_!”

“Hattori,” Kudou didn’t answer. Instead, he stared Heiji down, his scent building as the other Alpha asserted his dominance. “Step aside. Please.”

“Or what?” Heiji growled. “What’ll you do if I _don’t_?”

Even though Heiji was physically stronger, Kudou had held the ‘alpha’ position between them. At first, Heiji had wanted to be the leader of the four-man squad –had actually put his name in to be _captain_ , but after meeting Kudou, he’d submitted. He didn’t like it, but the other was cool-headed, calm enough to think up strategies that put them _light years_ ahead of any foes they made or any diplomatic meetings they held. Heiji knew he’d never have the patience for any of that stuff and had been happy to let Kudou take the reins.

But when it came to things like _this_ , Heiji was second guessing himself.

“Hattori,” Kudou said a third time, accompanied by a growl. Wait a minute… that growl came from _behind_ Heiji.

The Osakan whirled around, putting his back to Kudou to face what his instincts told him was a _highly capable_ opponent.

Not two feet from the two Alphas stood Kuroba, the lone Omega of the ship. Normally, Kuroba was a cheerful, go-with-the-flow kind of guy, but _none_ of that showed now. No, with crouched figure and bared teeth, Kuroba looked wild, nearly _feral_ , as his dark eyes scanned the two of them.

“Heiji,” Kudou spoke lowly. “Back away. Slowly.”

Heiji swallowed thickly and obeyed, keeping his eyes trained on the vicious Omega.  When he’d backtracked behind Kudou, Heiji felt those dark eyes flick off of him and onto the other Alpha. He let out a relieved sigh.

“Kaito,” Kudou did the unthinkable and _lowered_ _his head_ to the Omega. “We apologize for visiting unannounced. We didn’t realize you were out.”

Kuroba’s lips slowly pulled back over his teeth. His posture relaxed the slightest bit, but his gaze remained wary.

“I was about to head to the kitchen,” Kudou segued harshly, but the subject change seemed to further settle the Omega. “Would you like anything while I’m in there?”

Kuroba seemed to think it over before letting out a low growl and stalking into his room. The door slammed behind him.

“… I’ll take that as a no,” Kudou seemed to deflate as he let out a loud, relieved sigh. Then he turned on Heiji. “What were you _thinking_?!”

“Me?” Heiji exclaimed, then flinched. He looked at the door, then hissed lowly. “ _Me_? What about _you_?! Why didn’t you _tell me_ he was _nesting_!?”

“I didn’t know until this morning!” Kudou answered equally as low. “When you mentioned your jacket went missing and Hakuba said some of his stuff had disappeared as well.”

“And you didn’t think to _tell_ me?” Heiji growled, the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end.

Kudou straightened, putting himself a scant half-inch taller than Heiji. “Hattori, calm down.”

“I am calm!” Heiji spat through his teeth.

Kudou gave him a once-over. He jerked his head towards the lounge area. “Let’s move this somewhere else.”

“Why?” Heiji growled again. “Because I’m an Alpha? Because I can’t be trusted to keep _calm_ while an Omega is _nesting_ on our _ship_!?”

“ _No_ ,” Kudou said slowly. “Because Hakuba is-!”

The door to Kuroba’s room opened. Both Alphas froze.

“Shinichi?” Kuroba popped his head out, looking _nothing_ like the feral creature from before. His smile brightened at finding Kudou still outside his door. “If you’re going to the kitchen, can you bring me back a hot chocolate?”

Kudou stiffened before smiling back at the Omega. “Of course, Kaito. Marshmallows?”

“And whip cream!” the Omega ordered before closing his door again.

“… _Fuck_ ,” Kudou whispered, rubbing the bridge of his nose. Heiji blinked at the exchange, startled out his anger. When Kudou had regained himself, he looked to Heiji, raising an eyebrow. “Are you ready to listen now?”

Heiji frowned harshly, but now that the fog of anger had cleared, his thoughts came a little easier. It was easier to see that Kudou hadn’t told him because he hadn’t had a _chance_ to. Heiji had run off before Kudou was likely done making mental connections. It… was kind of Heiji’s fault for being impulsive.

Sighing, Heiji raked a hand through his hair before nodding and retreating to the lounge.

Hakuba was coming out of the kitchen with a mug of something hot that looked _suspiciously_ like hot chocolate. Before the blonde could take a drink, Kudou snatched it out of his hands as he walked by. Hakuba sputtered and whipped around. “Hey!”

“Kaito’s nesting,” Kudou said as an excuse. At the words, Hakuba froze, mouth dropping open. His eyes widened and stared at the mug of hot chocolate with a look of enlightenment instead of anger. Heiji scoffed.

“Hattori, take a seat,” Kudou said as he turned to drop off the Omega’s request. “Hakuba, calm him.”

Both Hattori _and_ Hakuba gave him scathing looks. He _knew_ how much they fought each other on a daily basis! It was partly Hakuba’s fault for being such an overbearing asshole, but… it was also Heiji’s fault, on part of his instincts.

When he’d submitted to Kudou, Heiji’s Alpha had declared itself second in command as he was the only other Alpha on board. Unfortunately, that ran contrary to Hakuba’s title of _Vice Captain_. As such, the two butted-heads far more often than they actually got along.

Never-the-less, Hakuba let out a sigh and the room filled with the scent of polished metal and old books –a scent that Heiji found his body relaxing with in spite of himself. It took only seconds for Kudou to return and when he did, tensions rose again.

The captain of the ship seated himself on a lone chair across from the couch Heiji had commandeered and the table that Hakuba had taken up residence at earlier. Kudou folded his hands, placing his index fingers on his upper lip before speaking.

“We all knew it was coming,” he started. “As part of the program, our bodies were cleansed of foreign substances before we disembarked. Any suppressants we had were scrubbed out in preparation for the voyage –we all accepted this before we ever signed on with the program. It was bound to be one of us, either Hattori or I going into rut, or Kaito starting his heat –it was going to happen.”

“Did it have to happen _now_?” Heiji couldn’t help the whine in his voice. He’d never been around an Omega in heat. It made him feel…

“I know you’re uncomfortable, Hattori,” Kudou said, blue eyes sharp on him. “I know that Kazuha is a Beta and that your mother was too. I understand this will be… _different_ , not difficult, for you. I also know that you can handle this.”

“What about you?” Hakuba asked, very pointedly.

“Do you really take me for an animal?” Kudou shot the Beta a very unimpressed look. “Ran was an Omega, as was my mother. I know when an Alpha is wanted and when one is _not_. You don’t have to worry, Hakuba.”

“You brought him hot chocolate,” Hakuba pointed out.

Kudou hesitated before admitting. “He _asked_ for it.”

Heiji didn’t know the significance of that statement, but it had Hakuba gaping like a fish, so he was all right to go along with it for now.

“The rooms should be both scent-proof and sound-proof,” Kudou said, pulling back to lean against the chair. “So I don’t think we’ll need to worry about Kaito _during_ heat. We just need to make sure to take care of any needs he may have before or after and make sure not to disturb his nest.”

“Why not?” Heiji frowned. He’d heard about nesting and other instincts, but he didn’t quite _understand_.

“If we disturb his nest, Kaito may feel inclined to move it elsewhere,” Kudou frowned. “Which could be dangerous, depending on _where_ he decides to move it to. Hopefully, it would just be to another of our rooms where his heat won’t impede anyone, but worst case scenario, he could end up in the control section of the ship and we’d be unable to pilot the ship off course should the need arise.”

Oh, yeah. No. Not a good idea. Even if Kuroba _was_ their primary pilot, Heiji and Kudou knew enough to steer the ship away from space pirates or towards docks for supply runs. But they could only do that from the pilot’s seat –and given they had run into pirates _three times_ in the last two weeks, Heiji knew they would need full access to the controls.

“Given the state of his room, I’d say we have enough time for one last supply run,” Kudou decided, slapping his hands onto his lap and standing. “Then we’ll have to find a section of space with little foot traffic to hunker down in for a week. Hakuba, take inventory and mark anything we’ll need to replace. Hattori, check the ship diagnostics to make sure we aren’t in need of any repairs. If we are, see what can wait a week or two and what cannot, then report back to me.”

“Where are you going?” Heiji asked.

Kudou made a disgruntled face. “To ask Kaito if he’d be willing to leave his nest to pilot us to the nearest outpost.”

*             *             *             *             *

Kuroba was, indeed, willing to pilot them to port, as much as setting up an autopilot is ‘willing’. However, he did suggest multiple routes and grinned happily when Kudou said he’d trust Kuroba’s judgement. The Omega had the route planned in no-time and skipped back to his room, trusting the ship to alert him of any asteroid fields or other crafts.

Heiji found himself in the bowels of the ship to check various gauges and digital read-outs. His holo-tab made note of a few places where oil pressure was off, but when Heiji looked, he’d just needed to wipe off a ring and reorient it.

Their fuel was looking good for the time being, but in a week’s time? They’d likely need more. Maybe some more oil while they were at it.

He’d let Hakuba know.

*             *             *             *             *

Hours later, they docked at a fairly well-traveled outpost. The planet was akin to an oasis in that the city and port flourished around the open waterway that cushioned ships like theirs –and the rest of the planet was covered in sand. It was the strangest contradiction Heiji had ever seen.

He knew it was due to its location serving as a waypoint not just for diplomatic expedition, but also for merchant ships and tourists of all kinds, but _still_ …

Heiji was tasked with guarding the smaller vessel he, Hakuba, and Kudou had arrived in. Large ships were too bulky for maneuvering, so they had taken a smaller companion ship down to the surface in order to grab their list of supplies. Hakuba had run off immediately, list of items in hand as Kudou put a hand on Heiji’s shoulder and nodded back to their temp vessel.

So Heiji had stayed.

Normally, _he_ was the one left on the ship during these runs, but Kuroba had refused to leave and Kudou hadn’t been inclined to force him. So the Omega had been left and Hakuba took his spot.

It was pretty boring down there. Now Heiji knew why Kuroba had wanted to skip.

After a while of watching the strange orange sun travel across the sky, Heiji heard his holo-tab ping him, once, twice, then started _blaring_. Jerking forwards, he snatched it up. That warning, it only ever occurred when there was a fatal malfunction, or-!

Their ship was being boarded.

“Kudou!” Heiji yelled when the captain picked up his holo-call. “Get Hakuba and get back here _now_! Our ship is under attack!” then a horrifying thought occurred to him. “ _Kuroba is still onboard!_ ”

Kuroba, who was alone.

Kuroba, who was an _Omega_.

Kuroba, who was _nesting_ -!

“ _Hattori,_ ” Shinichi’s voice came from the communicator. “ _Stay there. Hakuba and I are on our way. See if you can get a message in to Kaito to warn him._ ”

Right, _right_. Kuroba needed to know. He needed to know so that he could find a safe place and-!

Heiji hung up on Kudou without another word, frantically dialing Kuroba’s number.

Four rings. Voice mail.

Again.

Four rings. Voice mail.

 _Again_.

_Four rings. Voice mail._

_Again._

_ Three rings – _ hang up.

Heiji felt his blood turn to ice.

“Hattori!” Kudou shouted from the front of the docks. “Get in the ship! Take off in five!”

“K-Kudou!” Heiji’s lips felt numb. “I… I couldn’t-! I called! There was-!”

“No answer?” Kudou guessed. Heiji shook his head.

“The last one got through… then hung up,” Heiji felt light-headed, his breath coming too quickly.

They never should have left Kuroba up there alone. They never should have left a defenseless Omega on the verge of _heat_ alone on a ship marked with the Japanese government! What were they thinking-?! Kuroba could already be-! He could be-!

Heiji choked.

“Hakuba,” Kudou shoved Heiji inside and closed the door behind them. “Take him. I’m getting us into the air.”

“Roger,” Hakuba said without argument. Heiji felt the Beta crowd him into a corner of the storage space, but didn’t quite react, too lost in his own thoughts. Lost, that is, until that familiar scent of polished metal and old books filled his nose and his mind started to slow down. The ship jolted, shaking Heiji against Hakuba, but the Beta braced them both.

As the shuttle accelerated through the atmosphere, Heiji felt his own heart decelerate. As they hit terminal velocity, then _broke_ it and the lining between atmosphere and space, he felt his breathing even out. Enough to shake his head, clear his thoughts, and realize that Hakuba was practically ‘Kabe-don’-ing him against the wall.

He pushed the Beta away.

“I see you’re doing better,” Hakuba noted.

“Fuck me!” Heiji snarled. “It’s _Kuroba_ we should be worried about! Our ship is being boarded and _he’s up there alone_!”

Hakuba jerked backwards, surprised. “What? But Kudou-kun said-!”

“I don’t care what he told you!” Heiji growled as he stalked past the Beta, ignoring the way the metal and paper smell soured into rust and mold – _fear_. “We need to get up there!”

Hakuba shook himself and straightened. “Agreed.”

“Kudou!” Heiji called as he pushed into the piloting section. “What’s our ETA?”

“Roughly ten minutes,” Kudou frowned. He had the onboard communication pinging the ship on repeat, waiting for some kind of response. “What’s the diagnostics tell you?”

Heiji fished out his holo-tab. “One of the bay doors has been breached, but the airlocks are pressurized. They probably hacked in instead of blowing it to smithereens.”

“Life signs?” Kudou asked.

“Appears to be five besides Kuroba,” Hakuba said, looking over Heiji’s shoulder. “One in Kuroba’s room –I’m assuming Kuroba himself. Two are in the control compartment. Two are at the door that they entered from. The last appears to be roaming.”

Roaming in a very obvious search pattern. Were they making tabs of the stuff the team had or…?

“ _Fuck!_ ” Heiji shoved the holo-tab into Hakuba’s hands. “They’re heading towards Kuroba!”

“ _What_?!” Hakuba snapped, hands clenching tight around the device. They turned bone-white as he saw the path the last life sign was taking. “ _Shit_!”

“Hakuba, can you hack into our ship’s page system?” Kudou asked as he flipped a few switches, turning off the ping to the ship. Their shuttle was in sight now, along with a smaller brown junker’s ship that had sidled up to the side in their absence.

“Most likely,” Hakuba said as he minimized the diagnostics screen on Heiji’s holo-tab. His fingers flew across the screen, typing one handed faster than Heiji usually did with two. “But what will that gain us?”

“Just focus,” Kudou ordered, voice cool as ice. “And keep an eye on those life signs.”

Hakuba’s confirmation cut off when Heiji stole the holo-tab back. He didn’t have time to complain though, as Heiji threw the life signs up onto the ship’s left screen –a small window against the backdrop of space.

“You type,” Heiji growled as he shoved his holo-tab back into Hakuba’s hands. “I’ll watch.”

Hakuba nodded and took a seat, both hands flying across the screen.

Heiji watched as the roaming life sign opened Kudou’s room, then Hakuba’s right next to it. The little green dot moved slowly in from the right, so Heiji deduced that the junker was right handed. Right-handedness meant that they would feel more comfortable opening the doors on the left first, where their non-dominant hand wouldn’t cross their body and impede them should they be attacked. Therefore, Hakuba’s and Kudou’s doors would be first and the junker would wrap back around to Heiji’s and Kuroba’s.

Heiji remembered the debacle that had been room assignment. Neither he nor Kuroba wanted to be next to Hakuba for _obvious_ reasons, but Heiji had wanted to bunk next to Kudou since his instinct told him always be ready to back the other Alpha up. Instead, Kudou had managed to persuade him to take the room across the hall next to Kuroba due only to the fact that, should Kudou ever be in trouble, it was faster to run _straight ahead_ than _around and to the right._

Hakuba hadn’t cared in any way, shape, or form about where his room was, so long as it was quiet when he needed to sleep. Kuroba had promised to make as much noise as possible so that the Brit would never have a quiet moment. The whole thing had driven them insane for _hours_.

Finally, Kudou put his foot down as captain and head Alpha and laid out the sleeping arrangements. Everyone else had submitted to his decision and quickly moved on to other topics.

Now, Heiji wasn’t sure if he should be thankful or not that Kudou put his and Hakuba’s rooms in the path of the junker. On one hand, it allowed them more time to fly their ship back, but on the other hand, the anxiety was _killing_ Heiji. The trepidation of what the junker would do once he found Kuroba was _excruciating,_ as was the frantic silent plea that they make it in time.

The roaming life sign paused in front of the doors just long enough to make sure no one was inside before moving on. When the green dot had started to migrate to the other side of the hall, Heiji held his breath. At first, it looked like the dot would move past Kuroba and over to Heiji’s room, but something stopped it and made it wander back –slowly, like it was being drawn in by a siren’s song…

 _Or an Omega’s heat scent_.

“ _Shit_ ,” Heiji cursed lowly.

“What is it?” Hakuba asked, concern thick in his voice.

The green dot paused outside Kuroba’s room before it entered.

 _“Shit!_ ” Heiji curled his fingers into the armrest as if he could curl them around the throat of that junker.

“Hakuba, how is the hack coming?” Kudou demanded, hands tightening on the steering wheel.

“I don’t… I can’t-!”

“You _can_.”

Hakuba let out a high-pitched whine that Heiji had never heard from the Beta before, but ducked his head over the brightly lit screen of the holo-tab.

Heiji watched in horror as the green lights met up in the center of the room. He couldn’t tell which was which anymore. The diagnostic system wasn’t fine-tuned enough to differentiate between two life signs at close distance. So when one went flying to the other side of the room, Heiji couldn’t help a snarl of surprise and anger.

How _dare_ that junker hurt their Omega?! How _dare_ they step into Kuroba’s nest and _attack him_ before his heat!? How _dare_ -!?

“Hakuba, calm Hattori down,” Kudou ordered.

“I can’t-!” Hakuba made another miserable sound as rust and mold filled the air. Heiji’s heart quickened, smelling the fear scent thick in the air –imagining _Kuroba’s_ scent, chocolate and playing cards, souring with fear as he was attacked and-!

The green dot went over to the one that was thrown and then the two moved _together_ out of the room, one seeming to be _dragged_ by the other.

“Both of you, _calm down_ ,” Kudou ordered, his Alpha voice deepening to a level that made Heiji’s Alpha whine and growl in confusion. Why was the head Alpha ordering him to stand down? Their Omega was _in there_! Being _dragged_! What kind of Alpha _was_ he? Heiji should have never submitted to him!

The two green dots moved to the control room where two more dots were moving about. No, they weren’t gonna-! They _couldn’t_!

“Hakuba,” Kudou said, more softly to the Beta. “Are you in?”

“Y-yes,” The blonde replied, his breath coming unevenly as he hunched over the holo-tab.

The two dots converged on the two incoming. The green dot being dragged was thrown at the other two. A snarl ripped from Heiji’s throat.

“Good,” Kudou replied, eyes locked onto the ship as they pulled up beside it. He carefully positioned them away from any airlocks – _what was he thinking_?! Kudou snatched up a communicator and hooked it into his ear. “I want you to patch me through.”

“O-Okay.”

The last green dot converged with the other three. Heiji bared his teeth.

“Kaito?” Kudou called once Hakuba gave him the signal. “Kaito, we’re sorry.”

“What the _hell_?!” Heiji snarled. “If you’re sorry, get us _in there_!”

Kudou shot him a look, covering the communicator.

“Don’t give me that look!” Heiji snapped, slamming a fist onto the dash. What he _really_ wanted to do was _punch Kudou’s face in_. “He’s in there! Surrounded by three bandits! At the start of his _heat_! We should be in there! We should-!”

“In coming video call,” Hakuba relayed, face pale as a ghost.

“Put it on screen,” Kudou ordered, taking his hand away from the communicator. “Kaito?”

What? Did Kudou think _Kuroba_ took out _three junkers_ _by himself_?! An _Omega_?!

The screen came up dark, like every light in the ship had gone out. It was… eerily silent. No pleas for help. No whines or whimpers. No salacious remarks.

“Kaito,” Kudou tried again. “I’m sorry. I know you’re upset. I know they walked into your nest without permission, but please: Don’t kill them.”

The bottom of the screen lit up a little, like the control panel had been touched. The faint light illuminated a pale face, twisted up in anger and dark, _dark_ eyes. Eyes Heiji remembered.

Eyes Heiji had seen that morning.

On screen, Kuroba growled.

Kudou winced. “We didn’t know they were going to attack. We would never have left you alone if we knew the ship was a target. We just meant for it to be a supply run, to pick up food and parts-!”

The Omega bared his teeth, a snarl ripping wetly from his chest. Heiji felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. That did _not_ sound like a happy Omega.

Kudou ducked his head, lowering his eyes in submission. “You’re right. It’s no excuse. We should have left someone else there with you. It’s my fault. I didn’t think that far ahead.”

A rumbling growl, but it sounded let angry and more dismissive.

“We plan…” Kudou started slowly, keeping his eyes averted, “to take a course for the sector in 421. Can you… plot a course for us?”

Another growl and something like a huff.

“Before we go,” Kudou said, growing more confident, “we need to take those guys to the police…”

A throat-ripping snarl.

“Just them!” Kudou offered. “Just them. We’ll take them off the ship, call in this sector’s officials and be done with it. I won’t let a single one on the ship!”

A snarl, but not as wet and painful sounding.

“Besides,” Kudou paused to let the word settle, “you wouldn’t want them on the ship, right? Not while you’re in heat. They could walk in on your nest again.”

There was silence and then the call ended. Kudou deflated in his seat. “Hakuba, call the outpost’s military section. Hattori, maneuver the ship up to an unoccupied airlock.”

“No! Wait,” Heiji shook his head incredulously. “What _was_ that?! How did you-? How did _Kuroba-_?!”

“How is Kuroba safe?” Hakuba asked, tenser than a tuned string. “We had no method of communication before this, but you seemed _positive_ that he was unharmed. How…?”

Kudou looked between Hakuba and Heiji, a surprised, incredulous look on his _own_ face. “Really? _Really_? You guys _don’t know_?”

“Stop making me feel like an idiot,” Heiji growled.

“Don’t know what?” Hakuba cocked his head to the side, slowly regaining his normal calm now that the danger had passed.

“Back in tribal times, Omegas were the defenders of the den,” Kudou glared at them balefully. “That didn’t mean they were _homemakers_ or anything. They _literally_ defended the camp while the Alphas went away on war campaigns. They would fight tooth and nail to keep them and their children safe from harm. It’s the only reason Alphas felt safe enough to _leave_ in the first place! Because their mates would always be there when they got back.”

And, well, Heiji never thought of it that way before.

“I expected this from Hattori. He’s never spent much time around Omegas,” Kudou said as he vacated the pilot’s seat. Heiji took his place to maneuver the ship back around. “But you, Hakuba? I thought _you_ would understand, since you and Kaito came from the same academy.”

“We may have come from the same tutelage, but he and I rarely spent time together,” Hakuba lowered his head, his face twisting into something that was one part frustration, two parts embarrassment. “I only know as much as the Health classes they taught us said.”

Kudou sighed. “Which, isn’t very much, I understand. I only know so much because of Ran and my mother. They would become very territorial during their nesting phases, even to people like me and my father who were close. It felt like walking on a tightrope sometimes. I guess… if you never experienced that, you would buy into the popular media stereotypes.”

Not anymore. Not for Heiji. Not after he was confronted by those dark, _feral_ eyes not once, but _twice_ in one day.

“I sent out a signal to the guard,” Hakuba announced as he closed down the holo-tab. “They should be here in twenty to thirty minutes. What do we do until then?”

“We get the rest of the junkers out and into their own ship,” Kudou decided as he fiddled with his small wrist gun. The setting had been on stun, now it was on tranquilize. “And then steer clear of the interior as Kaito breaks down and reassembles his nest elsewhere.”

Heiji winced and silently prayed it wasn’t in the control room.

“And after that?” Hakuba pressed. The ship shuddered as they locked with the landing pad.

“Once the guard have taken the junkers away, we’ll be on course for sector 421,” Kudou said as he inputted the code for the airlock. “So I suggest going down to get our supplies before we leave.”

Right. Because they’d already purchased the stuff they needed. They just hadn’t had time to load.

“Okay,” Kudou said, sounding like he was psyching himself up. “I’m going out first. Both of you, make sure you are _behind_ me.”

“Why?” Hakuba asked, brow furrowed.

“Won’t you need back up?” Heiji frowned as he stood. “You’ll be getting _shot at_!”

“No, I won’t,” Kudou shook his head. “But you might.”

The other Alpha and Beta shared a confused look. Then Heiji made a face at him, because: Hakuba.

Without any other remarks, Kudou went into the airlock and entered the code for the other door. With a _swish_ of air, the lock opened and the doors slid back…

Only for a growl to echo down the airlock.

“Kaito,” Kudou greeted, remaining where he was, which took _guts_. Heiji heard the growl and _immediately_ took two steps back. Hakuba heard it and hid behind _Heiji_.

A snarl followed Kudou’s greeting and for a moment, Heiji thought the Omega was going to _rip the Alpha’s_ _head off_ , then Kudou did the unthinkable.

He bared his throat.

To an Omega.

To a _feral_ Omega, who was snarling and spitting and, apparently, had taken down the other two junkers right outside their ship.

Heiji will admit. He admired Kudou’s guts.

Maybe not his idiotic brain at the moment, but guts.

Kuroba flew through the entrance to the airlock and shoved Kudou up against the side, burying his face in his neck. For a moment, Heiji thought Kuroba had actually _torn Kudou’s throat out_ , but no. White teeth pressed against Kudou’s like a warning, a growl rising from the Omega around the captain’s Adam’s apple.

Kudou stayed perfectly still until those rumbling growls turned to something akin to a purr. Even then, he remained in place until Kuroba pulled his teeth away and decided to nuzzle into his neck instead.

The whole thing was really messing with Heiji’s instincts. Half of him wanted to rush to Kudou’s aid… the other half wanted to stay _the fuck away_ from the Omega.

Carefully, Kudou reached up to pet at Kuroba’s hair and –when it only produced a purr –pushed them both away from the wall and into the ship. He nodded for Heiji and Hakuba to follow. Inside, the two other junkers lay in a heap, their guns thrown across the room in a fit of anger, no doubt. Other than that, there didn’t appear to be a scratch on them, other than the fact they were unconscious.

“Very good, Kaito,” Kudou praised the Omega, to the sound of another purr. Kuroba wrapped himself more fully around the captain. Hakuba and Heiji went red at the sight. Kudou looked to Heiji. “Go get the other three and bring them down. Hakuba, find something to tie them up with.”

The two split off.

Heiji found the others in a similar heap, but with far more scratches and bruises. Obviously, Kuroba had attacked them before Kudou managed to talk him down, so they got the brunt of the Omega’s anger. Heiji half-wished they were still conscious because, even as an Alpha, lifting dead weight was no easy feat.

Eventually, though, he managed to get all three down into the docking bay. There, Hakuba had some duct tape he’d found to disable them and did so.

Kuroba was still pressed to Kudou’s side.

“Hakuba,” Kudou nodded to the Beta. “Time on the guard?”

“Most likely in the next ten minutes or so,” he replied. “I have received a response, so they are on their way.”

“Good,” Kudou looked to Heiji. “Any other life signs?”

Kuroba huffed.

Kudou rolled his eyes. “Yes, I know. You wouldn’t let a single one escape, but humor me, okay? I’m a thick-headed Alpha. I need some convincing.”

Small chuffing noises came from his side, something Heiji took to mean laughter.

There were no other life signs roaming the halls on his holo-tab. Heiji told Kudou as much.

“Good,” The captain nodded his head firmly. “Then let’s get these guys onto their ship and detach it for the guard. One person will have to stay on board to make sure they don’t wake up and attempt to escape. Heiji, you’ll be that person while Hakuba and I return to the outpost-!”

The purrs turned to growls.

Kudou grimaced and corrected himself. “ _I_ will stay with the junkers while you two go back down for our supplies. Kaito,” he nudged the Omega pressed to his side like Velcro, “will… take care of his nest.”

At the mention, Kuroba pulled away to glare at the pile of bandits. He hissed once at them before flitting off to tear down his nest and remake it elsewhere.

“Everyone got their part?” Kudou checked with Heiji and Hakuba. “Good. Let’s get to work.”

*             *             *             *             *

Heiji and Hakuba passed the guard ship on the way down to get their supplies and then on the way up, now with junker ship in tow. Their excursion took roughly two hours, including moving all the heavy crates Hakuba had insisted were necessary and their bickering at every turn. Heiji didn’t _mean_ to, but…

He was still torn up over what happened with Kuroba, okay?

He suspected Hakuba understood, as the Beta didn’t cheat his way out of the fighting using his pheromones.

Back on the ship, they unloaded everything, secured the smaller shuttle, and headed up to the control deck. Heiji was happily surprised to _not_ find Kuroba building his nest in there.

“We passed the guard on the way up,” Heiji noted as he took a seat next to Kudou at the controls. “How’d it go?”

“As well as can be expected,” Kudou sighed. “They wanted on board the ship and got increasingly annoyed when I wouldn’t let them.”

“Did you tell them you had an Omega in heat on board?” Hakuba asked.

“I tried, but I think they thought I was lying,” Kudou rolled his eyes. “I actually had to phone Kaito and have him appear on screen for them to realize that this ship was _not_ a place to go.”

“What’d they do then?” Heiji asked, mildly surprised that the guard had backed off so easily.

“Gave me their condolences and high-tailed it out of here,” Kudou grimaced.

“Is taking care of an Omega in heat really that bad?” Hakuba frowned.

“Only if you’re an Alpha,” Kudou sighed. “Kaito set us on course to sector 421, which is inside Colony-J’s protective zones. We should be able to hang there without any interruptions for a week or two, however long Kaito needs.”

“How long until we get there?” Heiji asked.

“Fourteen hours, give or take,” Kudou reported. “We should be there by morning, as long as there are no interruptions. The route Kaito gave us should allow autopilot to run without worrying about asteroid fields and the like.”

“Thoughtful,” Hakuba raised an eyebrow.

“Well!” Heiji let out a breath as he stood and stretched. “I’m hitting the training deck. You up for some sparring, Kudou?”

“No, I think…” Kudou leaned back in his seat a bit more. “I think I’ll just take a break here. Watch some stars as we go by.”

Heiji shrugged, and looked to Hakuba, questioningly.

Hakuba sighed. “Fencing and Kendo are _not_ the same thing! I don’t know how many times I have to tell you!”

“You have a sword. I have a sword. Our swords cross,” Heiji spelled out. “What part of that demands it be Fencing or Kendo?”

Hakuba continued to grumble all the way down to the training deck, but he _did_ follow Heiji, so he wasn’t really against it. He must have been feeling the need to burn off some steam, just like Heiji.

*             *             *             *             *

Shinichi woke with a start. Blearily, he looked around, wondering why it was he was in the control room. The autopilot listed _9 hrs._ as the current arrival time, so Shinichi must have dozed off for a few hours there while watching the stars fly by.

He stiffly got to his feet, stretching and shaking out the lethargy in his limbs. He’d missed dinner, but while half of him wanted to go to the kitchen and get some food, the _other_ half just wanted to face plant on his bed and not wake up until they arrived to their destination.

He’d had a long day, okay?

The latter half ended up winning out, though he did manage to get a mug of coffee (decaf) from the kitchen if only to silence his grumbling stomach. His nose wrinkled when he smelled something similar to melted chocolate and natural fire –s’mores? –in the hallway of their rooms.

The junker earlier had opened all of their doors and, unfortunately, Kaito didn’t close his before taking on the trio in the control deck. That, coupled with all the times Kaito went in and out, taking the blankets and moving his stuff, let his heat scent waft out of his room and saturate the air in the hallway with it.

That had been a few hours ago, long enough for the smell to dissipate slightly, making Shinichi believe he’d have an uncomfortable night with a half-chub rather than a marathon of lonely self-time. Shinichi wasn’t quite sure which he’d prefer at the moment, tired at he was. Though the marathon would be strenuous, at least he’d be able to _sleep_ at the end.

Yawning widely, he pushed aside the door to his room and stepped in, only to do a double take.

This… was his room, right?

There were various clothes strewn about his floor, making a veritable blanket covering the chilly plastic tiles. The pictures on the side table was definitely of his family and friends from back home, but the pale-skinned body in his bed was _definitely_ not supposed to be there. Dark indigo eyes looked over at him, blinking in the dim light Shinichi had turned on by habit.

“K-Kaito?” Shinichi choked, fumbling backwards in his shock. His back hit the door (when had he closed it?) with a _thump_ , startling him further. “I-I’m sorry! I didn’t realize-! I had thought-!”

Kaito didn’t look particularly put out. Instead, he looked soft, curled up in a dozen different blankets, eyes half-lidded. He let out a purr.

Shinichi gulped and turned around. “I’ll just-!”

“Shi~ni~chi…” Kaito called from the bed. Shinichi froze, shoulders at his ears.

“Kaito,” Shinichi replied. “We really shouldn’t do this…”

Why wouldn’t the door open? He tugged on it, fingers curled into the handle. It stuck fast in place.

“I think…” Kaito started, the sound of rustling making Shinichi realize the Omega had gotten to his feet. “We really _should_ …”

“Y-you’re not in your right-!” A hand slammed down beside Shinichi’s right ear, cutting the Alpha off.

“Shinichi, you and I _both_ know that’s a lie,” Kaito said, lips at Shinichi’s other ear, hot body pressed up against the other. “Is this about Mouri-san? If you fancy her, I won’t push, but you have to look me in the eye and tell me so.”

“No, she and I… we tried, but I…” Shinichi let out a low whimper as the _intoxicating_ smell that had filled the hallway seemed to increase ten-fold this close to its source. His pants tightened as his skin warmed and his thoughts leaked out his ears. “Kaito… no…”

“Kaito, _yes_ ,” Kaito purred. He pressed up against Shinichi, so close the other could feel the warmth of his skin leak through thin cloth. Shinichi’s control snapped.

*             *             *             *             *

The first _thump_ woke Saguru up.

The second had him wondering if Kudou was all right. Last he’d checked, the captain had fallen asleep in the pilot’s chair. Had he made it to bed?

The first _moan_ had Hakuba shooting to his feet and high-tailing it out of his room, because: _No_.

Because: Kudou’s room.

Because: _Kuroba’s_ voice.

Because: NO.

 _Sound proof, my ass!_ Saguru cursed to himself.

His first thought was to go to Kuroba’s abandoned room to try and get some sleep, but his instinct warned him off. Sure, it wasn’t Kuroba’s nest _anymore_ , but if the Omega woke and found Hakuba in his ex-nest, the other wouldn’t be any happier than to find him in his _current_ nest. So, he was left with one option.

*             *             *             *             *

The smell was irritating, Heiji decided.

It was too sweet, too heady, and too _everywhere_. His door hadn’t even been _opened_ by the bandit! How did the smell get in _here_!?

What’s worse: his jacket, the thing that started _everything_ that morning, was still with Kuroba. Even _worse_ , it would smell like _this_ afterwards! It would smell of melting chocolate and sparks in a star-filled sky instead of _home_ and _family_ and _Kazuha_.

Heiji wouldn’t be able to wear it ever again.

Just as he was about to succeed in his struggle with sleep, his door slid open, jolting Heiji to full alert. The door slid shut forcefully, trapping the intruder in with an irritated Alpha. Just as Heiji was about to yell, he found another body in his bed.

“Scoot over!” the intruder ordered gruffly.

Heiji stared, open mouthed. “ _Hakuba_?!”

“Yes, it’s me.” A bony elbow dug into Heiji’s side. “Now _scoot over_!”

Heiji found himself following the order before he shook his head. “Why are you _here_!?”

“Kuroba moved his nest to Kudou’s room,” Hakuba said as he stared down at his pillow –the one thing he’d brought with him. His face flushed in the darkness. “The walls are not as sound-proof as we were told.”

Heiji felt his cheeks warm. “… Oh.”

“Yeah. _Oh_ ,” Hakuba grumbled as he turned onto his side, facing away from Heiji.

The Alpha sat up, narrowing his eyes at Hakuba. “Then why didn’t you take _Kuroba’s_ room?”

“Instinct said he’d be _very_ unhappy to find anyone where his ex-nest was. I didn’t want to end up like the junkers,” Hakuba said matter-of-factly. He didn’t even look up to address Heiji.

The other scowled and continued to press. “Then why didn’t you sleep on the _couch_?”

Hakuba froze up, his shoulders slowly climbing to his ears. “I… didn’t think of that.”

Heiji made a sound of disbelief. Though… he would admit. The couch in the lounge was nice for sitting and such, but _sleeping_ was another matter. Not to mention Kuroba’s _scent_ would be flooding the area and the noises Hakuba heard may still make it out there. In Heiji’s room, at least, it was partially scent-proof and sound-proof, for whatever it amounted to.

“I’ll just go there then-!” Hakuba started to get up, but Heiji threw an arm over him instead.

“Nope! Too late! You’re stuck here,” Heiji said as he wrestled the Beta back down into the bed.

“It’s fine, Hattori! The couch is-!”

“Stop squirming!” Heiji growled, making Hakuba give him a very unimpressed look. “It’s your fault anyway.”

“… What do you mean?”

Heiji rolled his eyes. “I know you took my jacket, Hakuba.”

The Beta tensed, looking three seconds from sprinting from the room, a good night’s sleep be _damned_.

“I’m not mad,” Heiji sighed. “I know your Beta instincts were telling you to help Kuroba. Just like when you made hot chocolate this morning even though you normally drink that yucky grey stuff.”

“Earl Gray Tea,” Hakuba corrected hotly. “It’s not _actually_ gray-!”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever. My point still stands.” Now that the other wasn’t squirming and fighting to get away, Heiji took the moment to bury his nose in the other’s neck. The Beta tensed further at the action. “You took my jacket, made it easy for Kuroba to find, and then didn’t say anything.”

“… It was the thing that smelled most like you.”

“Yeah, me… and my family and _Kazuha_ ,” Heiji said pointedly.

“… Oh…” the scent of polished metal and old books sharpened with a tang and the smell of erasure burns – _embarrassment, remorse_. “I… didn’t know.”

“Cause I didn’t tell anyone,” Heiji said, burying his nose deeper. This close, the smell of the Beta overpowered the sharp, sweet scent of _Omega_ , allowing Heiji’s muscles to begin to relax. “It was my one piece of home, you know. I mean, I _know_ the scents would have worn off eventually, but still –at least _ask_ next time, yeah?”

“Okay. I will,” Hakuba started to pull away, but Heiji didn’t let him. “Um… Hattori? Mind letting go?”

“No. You gave away _my_ jacket,” Heiji grunted. “This is how you pay me back.”

“ _How_?”

“I’m not… unused to Omegas because I just wasn’t around them,” Heiji confided. “I actively _avoided_ them on Earth.”

“But… _why_?” Hakuba tried to twist around to look him in the eye, but Heiji held him in place, not wanting to face the other. Hakuba continued to argue none-the-less. “You’re an Alpha, aren’t you? Shouldn’t you be _chasing_ Omegas instead of _avoiding_ them?”

“You’d like to think that, but…” Heiji shrugged and buried his nose further. “I can’t stand their heat smell. Too strong. Too sweet. It makes my nose _burn_ whenever I encounter it, so I just… _didn’t_. It was easier. Alphas were just as bad, too spicy and sour. Beta scents are nicest, less strong, and more earthen than anything else.”

“You…” Hakuba trailed off before picking up his thought again. “Are you Beta-oriented?”

“Well, Kazuha is a Beta if that’s what you’re asking,” Heiji grumbled, finding his words a little harder to put together. The long day, tough training, and sleepless night was starting to wear on him. Put it together with Hakuba’s soothing scent and his eyes had trouble staying open. “Never thought too much about it.”

“Then why did you agree to this program-?” Hakuba cut off in a squeak when Heiji pulled the Beta from the edge of the bed towards the center, spooning him from behind. Even if their heights made it awkward, Heiji couldn’t find it in himself to care.

“Less talking, more sleeping,” Heiji mumbled. “Questions in th’mornin’.”

“R-Right,” Hakuba agreed, but he knew he wouldn’t get any sleep that night.

Before he knew it though, his eyes were closing as he listened to Heiji’s soft breaths and the two slid into the darkness of sleep.

*             *             *             *             *

Kaito felt wonderfully full and very proud of himself. It was the first break in his heat and he couldn’t be happier with his decision. Shinichi was _exactly_ as good as Kaito thought he would be. Attentive, polite, eager to fulfill Kaito’s every need, Shinichi was a gift that kept on giving. Mouri-san missed out.

 _Really missed out,_ Kaito decided as he purred at the warm feeling in his belly. He stretched and felt something shift and – _oh yeah. That’s the spot_.

On his stomach, Shinichi whimpered, completely drained from their earlier exercise. The position wasn’t the best for the Alpha either, since Kaito was on his back and Shinichi on his front, but what Kaito wanted, Kaito got.

Besides, this way, when Shinichi wrapped his arms around the Omega’s waist, Kaito could pet the Alpha’s hair and coo at him until the other settled. Sure, it may seem like Kaito was babying him, but…

Heats weren’t just the most defenseless times for Omegas. The Alphas who accompanied them were equally defenseless, if not _more so._ A tied Alpha was one that could hardly move, let alone _think_. They were sitting ducks for intruders brought in by an Omega’s scent.

It’s the reason why Omegas developed such _violent_ reactions to people intruding on their nest. It’s the reason why Alphas had to court the Omega _before_ the heat –otherwise they may just lose their precious family jewels. It’s the reason why Omegas _chose_ who would court them and, if not chosen, Alphas _respected_ their decision and _backed the fuck off_.

It was… also the reason Shinichi had been hesitant, Kaito was sure. They hadn’t really had much of a courtship. When boiled down, it amounted to Shinichi delivering Kaito a beverage of his choice _at Kaito’s request_ (very important, that), praising him for the route Kaito had chosen, and then running off to leave Kaito to fend for himself against intruders on his nest.

Honestly, Kaito’d had half a mind to _not_ let Shinichi back on the ship after that stunt, but the Alpha had been truly sorry and even _bared his neck_ to Kaito, which… Kaito didn’t remember an Alpha doing, ever. Like… _ever_. Not even other Alphas to other Omegas! It just didn’t happen!

At the time, Kaito’s instincts had wanted to _tear Shinichi’s throat out_ , but when Shinichi had offered, when there was the _possibility_ of it… Kaito felt the tiny flame of anger die out. Oh, he was still mad, but more in the way ‘ _you better not do it again_ ’ rather than ‘ _I’m going to maim you’_. So Kaito proved his point and then accepted Shinichi again.

So, yeah, their ‘courtship’ was rushed and probably unplanned (at least, on Shinichi’s part), but it was good enough for Kaito… this time. Next time, Shinichi would have to up his game.

While the Alpha snoozed on Kaito’s stomach, the Omega reached over for his holo-tab. Diagnostics on the ship looked good as far as Kaito could tell and the autopilot was still on course. It looked like there would be a migrating asteroid field across the path in a few hours, so Kaito tweaked the path to go around its wake rather than its head.

Next, he checked the life signs on the ship, surprised to find two green dots in Hattori’s room and none in Hakuba’s. The Beta had obviously moved rooms, but when and why? And more importantly: _why Hattori_? Kaito knew the two didn’t get along, so for the Beta to go to the Alpha’s room willingly… interesting. Very interesting.

Kaito pulled up the document he was working on describing the various behaviors of the crew members. Hakuba, Hattori, and Shinichi all knew the basis for this expedition, had signed consent along with the waiver for space travel like Kaito did. They just… may not know Kaito was the one keeping records of their daily life rather than some AI program.

This expedition was designed to be one part exploration, one part diplomatic, and two parts social experiment. There were dozens of other expeditions like this one that asked Alphas and Omegas to forgo their typical suppressants in order to meet with aliens that, otherwise, avoid the ‘non-scents’ of humans. Suppressants messed with some species’ noses or other sensory limbs that led to them avoiding contact and sometimes actively _repelling_ contact with humans. Crews like Kaito’s were formed in order to strengthen bonds without such adverse reactions.

Of course, there were hundreds more expeditions that allowed Alphas and Omegas to _keep_ their suppressants, should they wish to. In fact, crews like Kaito’s were in the minority, but were surprisingly growing in favor as younger generations got sick and tired of pills being shoved down their throats and being forced to conform to society.

Aoko, Kaito’s Omega friend, had also signed up the same time as Kaito and had disembarked two weeks after Kaito had. Since they were going in different directions, communication was sparse, but HQ was working on ways to deliver messages _faster_ than the speed of light so that it wouldn’t take three years to get a _Hi, how are you?_ from friends and family. It was progress, but slow going. If nothing else, Kaito knew he’d see her again in 5 years when they returned from their voyage.

Just as Kaito made note of Hakuba’s room change, he felt another thrill of pleasure ripple through him, signaling the next wave of heat. Setting his holo-tab aside, Kaito nudged Shinichi, laughing when the Alpha groaned a tired, “ _five more minutes_.”

“You might get three,” Kaito said. “If you want to eat, drink, or use the bathroom, I’d suggest doing so now.”

Shinichi’s head shot up, blue eyes wide, before streaking over to the restroom, the sight making Kaito laugh again.

Oh yes, he was _very_ happy with his choice.

*             *             *             *             *

Time went on. Hattori forgave Hakuba. Shinichi and Kaito finally left their room. The ship docked at an outpost to resupply and they continued on their way. When Hattori’s Rut hit, he found himself burning off energy in the training room with the Beta joining in when he needed a sparring partner.

The following week, when _Shinichi’s_ Rut hit, he found himself snuggled up under a couple blankets. A heat sat low in his stomach, but it didn’t cause a pressing need like Hattori’s had. It just made him sleepy and lethargic, so he spent most of that week re-reading his collection of Holmes.

Hakuba was just glad he didn’t have to put up with any of this hormone BS. All he had to do was act as a stand-in captain for Shinichi when the other couldn’t be bothered to leave his room during his season. Sometimes, it paid to be a Beta.

The next time Kaito started to nest, Shinichi knew well in advance of Hattori or Hakuba –simply because, instead of _stealing_ articles of clothing, Kaito _asked_ for them…

Kind of.

Shinichi stopped outside his door and sighed. He turned to glare mulishly over his shoulder. “Can I help you, Kaito?”

The Omega smiled, throat vibrating in a little _chirp_ as he rocked back and forth on his heels. With his hands clasped behind his back, Kaito looked like the _picture_ of innocence.

Shinichi eyed him once more before turning towards his door.

Behind him, Kaito chirped, inquisitive.

Shinichi’s shoulders came to his ears before he sighed. He opened his door, didn’t react when Kaito followed as far as the entrance, and stripped off his shirt. Holding the clothing out, Shinichi resolutely turned his eyes to the far wall.

Kaito took the shirt with a happy sound. Then he chirped again, inquisitive.

“Really?” Shinichi groaned and stripped off his pants. He handed _those_ over as well. “There. Happy now?”

Kaito made another happy sound, but remained standing in the doorway. He chirped again.

Shinichi threw his hands up. “You have my shirt and pants! What more could you want?!”

Kaito’s eyes drifted from Shinichi’s frustrated glare to his dark blue boxers. The Alpha flushed a deep scarlet. “ _I am not giving you my underwear!_ ”

Kaito let out a mournful sound.

“No! No no no!” Shinichi said resolutely as he pushed Kaito from the doorway and slammed his door shut.

Kaito let out another sad sound and pawed at the door. The door opened just enough for something to fly out and hit him in the face before slamming shut again. Kaito’s nose twitched as he fumbled with the thing on his face and pulled it away to see.

Shinichi’s blue boxers.

 _Success_.

*             *             *             *             *

“So…” Hattori started slyly, “I noticed Hakuba has started to take things without asking again. _Clothing_ things.”

Hakuba’s face flushed brightly as he tried to hide it in his coffee mug.

“ _And_ ,” Hattori continued, grinning like the cheeky shit he was, “I noticed a _distinct_ lack of your boxers in the wash this week.”

“Shut. Up.” Shinichi hid his face in his hands. Hattori cackled at Shinichi’s put out expression.

It’s not that Shinichi didn’t like Kaito or wasn’t flattered that the Omega chose him (and continued to choose him) over Hattori, but…

Last time Kaito’s heat had finally subsided, Shinichi hadn’t been able to walk for _three days_. Kaito was bouncing around the ship, happily digging into the fridge and washing the clothes he’d stolen in order to return them. Meanwhile, Shinichi hadn’t been able to leave the _bed_ –everything had hurt.

Shinichi liked Kaito. He really did.

He just didn’t know if he would _survive_ Kaito again.

Although… the way Kaito pampered him afterwards was nice. He’d brought Shinichi coffee or paperwork that the captain needed to complete. And he’d cuddled up with Shinichi without feeling the need to do anything _more_. They’d talked about their families and home life. He’d learned that Kaito’s friend Aoko was on the same ship as Ran and…

It was… nice.

If it was like that again, Shinichi might not mind so much.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Right now, I don't have an idea of a sequel, so this is a one-and-done thing. Please do not ask for a sequel. If I feel like there is something I can add, I will. If not, not.
> 
> Next update should be to Next Conan Hint, and then an update to Writer's AU next Saturday. :)


	3. AI

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Artificial Intelligence -'AI'. In the past few decades, the scientific community has been enamored with the concept and creation of AI. Programmers are consumed with it and media has painted it as the next greatest advancement the world would ever see. Two simple letters cover a topic that sprawls the entire earth.
> 
> However, the Japanese have had this word for far longer than computers and coding have ever existed. Their word, 'ai', has a far different, far softer meaning. Their 'ai' means 'love'.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Detective Conan or Magic Kaito, only the idea for this fanfic.
> 
> PS -a couple things before we start!
> 
> 1) Inspiration: I had a couple things inspire me with this AU.  
> Prompt from Infestation: "what measure is a machine/robots are people"  
> Canon songs: Openings 33 and 39, full animated versions  
> and!  
> Bakathief's artwork found here: https://dcmk-baka-ask.tumblr.com/post/169358375154/ma-kaito-has-lost-all-his-emotions-and-memories
> 
> The idea started with the Openings (Kaito vs. Conan is pretty much opening 39 with Kaito in Ran's place... kinda) and got fueled by Infestation's prompt, but I think the main driver came from Bakathief's Robot!Kaito. Without that, I wouldn't have had such a good climatic moment, which I hope all of you will enjoy. :)
> 
> 2) WARNING  
> I use a LOT of technical jargon in this thing. I tried to make it as close to real life as possible without making it too confusing. As such, there are references to coding terminology that I assume most of you won't get, but I tried to make it as unnecessary to understand as possible. If it's too hard to read or if you have questions, please let me know. :) I'll do my best to answer.
> 
> 3) I am so inconsistent in this thing. I tried to write their 'code' moments as if they had no form, but since I based those off of openings 39 and 33, they ended up being more human like than I expected. I'll just say that, since no AI is to the point that Shinichi and Kaito are at, I am free to make them however I wish. :) It's mainly a visualization thing.
> 
> 4) I use the term 'AI' as both 'Artificial Intelligence' and 'Artificially Intelligent', so in some places it's a noun and others it's an adjective. I'm sorry if this confuses you. (><) I tried to correct as many as I could, but I think I missed some.
> 
> 5) (and final) This thing was a MONSTER to write! I hope you guys enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it! :) With that, I'll go ahead and let you get on with the story.

_Year 2058 - Advancements in multi-processor and memory bank technology allows a small group of neuro-scientists and software developers to completely map out the human brain. Every synapse has a logic, every memory an allotment in the experimental data banks. When asked questions, the artificial brain responses exactly as the lead developer of the group, whom it is based off of._

Sirens whirled over their heads as the police vehicle tore through the traffic. Cars on either side parted like the Red Sea, slowing to a halt if only to avoid a ticket. Blue eyes stared out at street signs as they flew past, metal poles nearly bending in the wake of Satou’s driving. A cloud of dust trailed behind them.

_Year 2063 - Previous mapping of the human brain is applied to the study of Artificial Intelligence, giving rise to a new Age of the Computer. AI programs are so advanced that, were it not for their inhuman form, they would be mistaken as actual living beings._

The vehicle slowed to a stop. Already, dozens of reporters crowded against his door, pressing in to be the first with a close-up shot, the first to ask the questions. He ignored them all and turned instead to the young girl at his side. She raised an eyebrow at him and tossed her strawberry blonde hair to the side with a scoff.

_Year 2067 - With advancements in mechanical engineering, the AI programs now developed are able to move a fully operable system in the image of human beings. Laws are fought over and won in the name of AI autonomy. Once-computer programs are now officially recognized citizens of their country of origin. Their ‘Androidal’ suits are un-differentiable from the common person._

He pushed the door open the slightest bit, just enough to warn the reporters on the other side, then swung it open completely. Long limbs unfolded as he ducked and stood, dusting off his jacket and ignoring the crowd around him. So entranced with him were they, that the crowd missed the sight of the young girl clambering out of the vehicle, durable suitcase in hand. Several feet away, another man was accosted by yet more reporters.

_Year 2068 - The unimaginable happens. A virus gains Artificial Intelligence through unethical means. They are called Viral Artificial Intellects –VAIs._

“Sir! Mr. Yamamotou!” a reporter yelled at the nervous man. “Do you know how the VAI came to be on your building’s inner network system?”

“No, I do not!” the man, Yamamotou Daikichi, wiped at his face with his handkerchief, trying to stay the sweat of his brow. “But I have reason to believe it is a competitor of mine aiming to defile my name!”

“Sir, what do you mean by ‘defile’?” another reporter asked, holding her microphone out after her questions. “Why would a competitor seek to destroy you in such a way?”

“No comment!” he grunted as he finally caught sight of the young man and his even younger assistant. “Kudou Shinichi!”

Blue eyes looked up, called by his name. Yamamotou hurried over, pushing his way through the crowd to grasp at Kudou’s hand. “I’m so glad you arrived!”

“I came as soon as I got your call,” Kudou said calmly, as if they were speaking in a quiet room rather than a crowded, over-excited street corner. “I take it that your building is there?”

“Yes, yes, right this way.” The man pushed through the crowd again, this time with Kudou and his attendants, Officers Satou and Takagi, in tow. “I’ve had all of my employees evacuate the building, just in case it sets off some kind of alarm or gets some sparks going.”

 _And to keep them from opening any other files_ , Shinichi thought, but kept his mouth shut. After all, people didn’t like it when he pointed out the obvious. Instead, he asked. “What can you tell me about the VAI? When did it first appear? Who noticed it? What programs did they have open?”

“My secretary had been checking her personal email account when it sprang up with a _vile_ grin on her screen. Next thing I knew, our IT department was bombarded with phone calls and all of our electronics were on the fritz. Even our _printer_ stopped working!” Yamamotou wiped at his brow again, looking completely overwhelmed.

“Most likely a Trojan if your secretary wasn’t doing anything out of the ordinary. Do you know what its goal is?” Shinichi asked, an idea forming already. Some proof would be nice though.

“I don’t know and I don’t care!” Yamamotou said, spittle flying from his mouth. “I just want it gone! You hear me? Gone!”

Shinichi wiped at his cheek. “Affirmative. That is our reason for being here.”

“They say you are the best.” Yamamotou looked him over with a steely-eyed glare. “You better play up to your reviews.”

“Trust me,” Shinichi scoffed, smirk playing along his lips, “we will.”

Yamamotou harrumphed and gestured to his office. The secretary’s computer had been moved inside after the initial attack, just like Shinichi had ordered over the phone. Now, it was a simple matter of getting in, getting the VAI, and getting out.

As his young assistant wandered in first, Shinichi turned to Satou and Takagi. “No one enters this room until I am finished. Yamamotou, you must answer any questions that my assistant, Haibara, has, if you want this to end as quickly as possible.”

Satou and Takagi nodded. Yamamotou looked unimpressed.

Shinichi shut the door.

Over at the president’s desk, Haibara had already set up shop. The suitcase she had carried in was unpacked, cords and accessories littering the desk. Her laptop sat front and center, hooked up to the secretary’s dated desktop computer.

“How’s it looking?” Shinichi asked. He picked up one of the chairs in front of the desk to move it over beside Haibara’s spot. Of course, she took the President’s chair.

“Hard drive’s a mess, but the ports still work,” Haibara noted. “I hate being called your assistant.”

“No one would believe that you’re actually 19 years old,” Shinichi pointed out as he took a seat beside her. “Besides, it’s technically the truth.”

“I’m older than you by a decade and a half.”

“And yet, not wiser.”

She glared at him. “You know, I could leave you on this foreign network and just call it a day. Let the police pick up _two_ VAIs.”

“You could,” Shinichi raised an eyebrow, “but then you’d get bored. No one else can converse on your level without seeing you as some preschooler. Even Agasa has his moments.”

She scoffed, but didn’t go further on the subject. Instead, she pulled an extendable USB micro cable from her suitcase and hooked one end to her laptop. The other end, she held out to Shinichi.

Taking it, he slid back the inconspicuous port behind his right ear and plugged it in. He gave her a cocky smile. “Wish me luck!”

Then he deactivated the pseudo-clock program and breathed a sigh of relief. Taking a step back from the audio-visual interface that he had been working with, he ignored the _pings_ as his limbs sent back return statements and fell limp.

It took a few microseconds for him to adjust to the far more rapid processing speed that his core code ran on. ‘Real-Time’ processing was so _slow_ that he had to induce hang-time in order to not get bored with the world around him. Getting rid of that delay felt like shaking off a fog from his classes and functions. It felt like becoming _himself_ again.

Pulling up the list of his ports, he selected the only connected one and readied himself to port to Haibara’s laptop and then to the secretary’s desktop.

The USB felt similar to the human monorails to him. One ‘hand’ grasped the High Voltage line as his ‘feet’ remained firmly on Ground. His data fluctuated excitedly in-between the two lines as he flew down from his mechanical body to the laptop and then out to the infected hardware. At his destination, he got off and waited the few nanoseconds it took for the rest of his code to arrive.

Shinichi’s digital form was much smaller than his physical. His base code was simple: attach to a file, get downloaded undetected, and send back any information he could get his hands on. He didn’t get to keep anything he’d read when he’d started out. Everything had been processed and torn from his memory like it had never been there.

Haibara had changed that.

Now, his code had add-ons and plugins and his android body had _libraries_ that he could read to his heart’s content. But reading was for later. Right now, he had a virus-AI to find.

“ _I’m running a diagnostic on their network_ ,” Haibara’s voice registered through his auditory pathways. They lingered like a trail back to his body.

Shinichi _pinged_ an affirmative as he took a look around. Wow, the VAI had really done a number on the place. The logic system of the hard drive was torn to pieces and its memory was filled to the max. It looked like the VAI had just shoved random webpages and cookies into every nook and cranny, causing the drive to slow to a crawl and allow the VAI free reign around the wheezing fire-wall.

No doubt it was all part of its programming.

 _“My indicators have located the VAI in the financial filing system. Scans show it’s the same virus we’ve been chasing for a while,”_ Haibara said _. “I’ve also downloaded keywords for your secondary search. Good luck, Conan.”_

Code name C-0N-4N gave an affirmative _ping_ as he saw various files light up around him. His base code squirmed to read them all – _Primary Directive: obtain information_ –but he shook off the urge and materialized his tracker system. The files were still there, but his ‘vision’ now had an overlay of the whole company network system.

A red dot blinked in a section two servers over. He’d have to transfer. Without hesitation, he loaded the UDP plugin and boarded up. This plugin reminded him of those skateboards he saw children using, except he didn’t have to push it to go. He just pressed ‘Send’ and he was off.

The first server was empty of his directives. No files glowed for his keyword search. No virus attempted to latch onto him to deconstruct his code. Nothing here for him.

He created a new UDP connection and raced off.

The next server, he hit a wall of text built like a fortress. Ugh, what he wouldn’t give for Hattori’s hacking skills right now. Opening a small window, Conan sent Haibara a message.

_Password protected server: QH-332_

Then proceeded to wait _forever_ for her to reply.

420,003,785 microseconds later, he received a response.

_Nanako93_

Child’s name and year of birth, should’ve known.

Inputting the password, Conan watched as the wall of text rolled back block by block as each letter was checked and confirmed against the recorded password.

 _Access Granted_ displayed in green as Conan flew under the window.

The new server was vast, holding archive after archive after archive. His primary directive tingled, but Conan staved it off – _Mission Directive: Find and eliminate virus_ –for now. He could always return after the virus had been dealt with.

His tracking system showed the virus in a deeper subfolder. As he drew closer, he started to see signs of contamination. Corrupted files littered the systems; some systems entirely unreachable, even for him! A couple files glowed for his keyword search, but he ignored them.

They were corrupted, useless to him now.

After a few microseconds more of fruitless searching, Conan grew frustrated. All the reports and diagnostics he’d read said that Trojan 1412 was a highly volatile virus. Usually, that meant Conan was attacked as soon as he set foot on scene. Why had they yet to have a confrontation?

“Aren’t you a cute one?” A voice _pinged_ him from one folder up and to the left. The _ping_ sent a shiver up his spine, but Conan ignored it. Instead, he hurried to climb after its source.

“I’m guessing you’re a little Snoop.” The voice came again, but from a folder two to the right and down. “I bet you just want to stick your nose into these files and read them all millisecond!”

Yes, Conan very much _did_ , because _Primary Directive_ , but he _couldn’t_ because _Mission Directive_.

“Trojan Virus 1412,” Conan _pinged_ as loud as he could, hoping to draw the virus to him. With his smaller code set, he couldn’t keep up with the apparently much faster virus, so he’d have to bait him instead. “You are under arrest by order of the Bureau of Artificial Intelligence Countermeasures!

“I always hated that name: ‘1412’. Call me ‘KID’, yeah?” The voice seemed to come from everywhere at once, making Conan whip around to scan the folders nearest him for his target.

There was silence for a few nanoseconds. Conan check his tracking system, but no, 1412 was still on this server.

“You are AI?” a figure appeared above him. Conan could just barely make out his form beneath the white Trojan smoke screen. It acted like a camouflage suit –if the ‘camouflage’ was synonymous ‘chameleon’. The figure cocked his head to the side. “I’ve never met another VAI.”

Conan had met many, some volatile, some neutral, some like himself: curious. Despite the reports, he’d yet to see what category 1412 fit in.

“In accordance with bylaws 13 and 22 of the Code of Conduct for Artificial Intelligence and use thereof for protection against Malevolent AI Units, I am authorized to scan, quarantine, and eliminate if required.” Conan loaded his battering add-on and cranked up the power on his launching protocol.

The part of him that had grown used to being ‘human’ wanted to slide non-existent hands into non-existent pockets, but he could not. Instead, Conan gave the Trojan a look and settled on an intimidating flare of his code. “Are you going to come quietly or will I have to use force?”

The Trojan processed for several nanoseconds. He regarded Conan with his singular scanner unit before sending Conan something that could only be referred to as a frown. “You’re working for them.”

“I guess the answer is ‘by force’ then.” Conan readied his systems.

“You don’t know what they’ve done,” 1412 hissed across the file structure.

“Then by the power vested in me by the BAIC...” Conan recited, taking aim.

“If you knew what they’ve done!” 1412 protested loudly. “If you had read the files in their system-!”

“I hereby acknowledge you as a Malevolent AI Unit and place you under quarantine.” He let loose his battering system, hurling forward a ball of the most powerful code Agasa had ever written.

With one hand, 1412 brought up a collider shield, extending in ovular formation to the edges of his code. For a split picosecond, the shield held, but as Conan’s code persisted _{while(true)},_ it slowly gave way to stack-overflow and shattered; battering code shattering with it.

Conan readied a second version of the plugin within picoseconds.

1412 pulled up several corrupted folders as he leapt from one drive to the next. Without hesitation, Conan set the battering parameter _{homing=true;}_ and let fly. The code smashed through the folders like comments, as if they were never there.

As his plugin chased 1412 through the server, Conan set up a trap with code he had made himself. He’d seen rubber bands on Haibara’s desk one day and been inspired to make a little something of his own. This new code he stretched between one drive and the next, attaching to null characters to do the least harm possible to the system.

When 1412 came around again, he was met with a web of elastic bands that wrapped around him. In the nanosecond he was held _{running=false;},_ Conan’s battering code caught up with him, slamming him with thousands of recursive statements. 1412’s computing power dropped to 1,000 cycles/second. As slow as real-time to Conan’s 1,000,000,000,000 cycles/second.

“Trojan 1412,” Conan stated. “You are charged with attacking and tampering with the mainframe of Eldin Co.’s Japanese Branch. You will be quarantined until further notice.”

Conan waited the thousands and thousands of microseconds necessary for 1412 to process and respond. The returned statement was slow and unstable.

“You don’t know what you’re doing,” 1412 said. “They are bad people.”

Conan did the virtual equivalent of a shrug. “It’s not my call.”

Before 1412 could respond again, Conan shot the small tranquilizer code into his core. He watched as the Trojan compressed into his inactive state, a tiny sphere of an executable, and caught it in a containment add-on.

Rolling the code between his hands, Conan pondered the other VAI.

_You’re working for them._

_You don’t know what you’re doing. They are bad people._

_I’ve never met another VAI._

_I always hated that name: 1412. Call me ‘KID’, yeah?_

“Haibara,” Conan compiled his message, “have a unit ready for long-term containment.”

296,087,435 microseconds later and: _“Oh? Did someone pique your interest?”_

“More like he’ll pique yours,” Conan sent back before closing his messenger app. With the VAI safely in hand, it was time to take a look at his Secondary Mission Directive and let his Primary Directive run wild.

*             *             *             *             *

KID woke up… and saw nothing. He felt nothing. He heard nothing.

“Oh no.” His code gave a stutter. He fumbled around, grasping for a data-stream, a file, _anything_. “No, no, no, no!”

He’d been quarantined.

He _pinged_ frantically as he roiled against a virus’ worst nightmare. For once in his existence, he regretted adding that AI code to his own. At least as sub-intelligence, he wouldn’t have to feel this horrible, mounting dread. It was like watching a _while{true}_ statement run with no end condition, errors compounding on errors.

As a sub-intelligence, he would simply know that the end was coming and not to be able to wallow in the in-between.

‘Purgatory’ is what the humans called it, he thinks.

“Oi, stop _pinging_ like crazy.” A voice came from the void, sounding slow and annoyed. “You’re filling my buffers.”

KID startled, his code pausing for a nanosecond before bursting into a frenzy.

“Hello? Can you hear me?” Where was the data getting out? If he could find it, he could escape! He could attach himself to a message, could eel himself out – _Primary Directives_ : _Blend in, infiltrate, cause havoc_. But he needed to find-! “Please, are you there? Hello?”

No response.

Picoseconds went by.

Then nanoseconds.

Then _micro_ seconds.

KID began to worry. Had… had his own code gotten corrupted? Was he registering things that weren’t there? That Snoop’s attack code was nothing like KID had ever seen. He’s honestly not sure how he’s still functioning at this point. Maybe…

Maybe he wasn’t…

Before he could get into _that_ existential crisis, a reply came a full _millisecond_ after he’d sent his first message.

“Hey, I told you to stop sending those. It’s no use. I’m ignoring your messages anyway.” Ah! He’d _master-slaved_ KID! The nerve of that Snoop! “Take this and add it to your code set.”

KID huffed and sat back to wait… and wait… and _wait_.

 _This_ was the VAI that had outsmarted and out-processed him? KID couldn’t believe it.

Another full millisecond passed before KID received a package of code. Wary, he read through it, not trusting the VAI not to trick him. They were viruses. KID knew how the other thought.

A quick scan and KID was outraged. This code-! This _hang-time inducing_ code is what that _Snoop_ wanted KID to assimilate?! Into his own _beautiful, perfect code_?! A flurry of angry _pings_ and KID turned his back on the code with a pout.

“From the timing of your _pings_ , I see that you didn’t add the pseudo-clock to your code set,” the message came after a long wait time. “I thought you were smart enough to connect a plugin, but if not, let me know and I’ll direct you.”

KID _was_ smart enough, thank you!

… Even if he wasn’t sure what a ‘plugin’ was.

Another millisecond passed and a message came again. “Okay, so no message means you know how to do it, you just don’t want to.” Yes, that’s right! And there’s nothing that Snoop could do about it! “So I hope you’re in for a long wait, because I will only talk to you at this speed.”

Oh _compiler_ , please no!

KID waited one millisecond, two. By the third, he was bored out of his functions. He let out a grumble of text and _pinged_ the Snoop.

“Ah, I see you’re willing to work with me now,” the message came. “So here’s a short how-to for you to follow.”

KID snatched up the attachment and got to work. Making a plugin was actually fairly easy, especially since the code was done for him. KID wondered if he could make his own plugins?

Once the pseudo-clock connected to his code, KID felt the world around him warp. Suddenly –like an if-else clause had been activated –he found himself _surrounded_ by other codes and programs and _interfaces_. A giant visual interface took up 17% of his operating space. His data core spun a little at the many, _many_ possibilities.

Choosing one at random, KID read the required input _{Boolean blinkRefresh}_ and sent a command of ‘1’.

Nothing happened.

He sent a ‘0’.

The visual interface burst into lights and colors. KID sent out random _pings_ as he sent ‘0101’ to the program.

Light. Dark. Light. Dark. Light. Dark.

Oh Assembly, this was _fun_!

“Okay, enough of that,” the Snoop sent in message form. Another message quickly followed –wow, this pseudo-clock was really something! “Try refocusing the lenses and then work on motor control when you get the chance.”

Lenses? Motor control? Before he could even ask, two more sets of code came up, along with some bit instructions he could read through. Ignoring those, he went straight to the two codes. The ‘motor control’ didn’t seem to do anything, but the ‘lenses’ made the light input change in the display, so he decided to play with that one.

_“Is he okay in there?”_

_“Yeah, just getting used to the controls –whoa!”_

_“*snort*”_

_“I nearly got kicked in the face! How is that a laughing matter?!”_

_“Because it’s you, Kudou.”_

KID was bombarded with a whole bunch of inputs at once but before he could even begin to parse them, they were saved in a folder labeled ‘Audio’. He stared at it for a millisecond, then decided they could wait.

Playing with the lenses was fun. The more he focused, the more these thin lines came into focus, forming a strange grid pattern. How far could he focus on them?

Something big and blurry got in the way.

KID sent angry _pings_ at it… but the object didn’t seem to receive them. Man, had _everyone_ MS-ed him?

_“He stopped spazzing out.”_

_“Yeah. I’d ask what he’s doing, but I don’t want to open a channel just in case he gets out.”_

_“I get it… he appears to be working with the lenses.”_

_“Probably got distracted. Amateur.”_

_“Who is it that spent two hours focusing and refocusing his lenses when he first turned on? ... That’s what I thought.”_

More input that went straight to the ‘Audio’ file.

Focusing more didn’t make the thing anymore clear, so KID went backwards and –oh! Well, didn’t that look pretty?

He wasn’t entirely sure what it was, but it kick-started _another_ program. The function was called _facialRecognitionRecord(Image im, Tag name)_.

It brought up an identical image to the light display along with a query for ‘name’ and… is that a list?

KID had a _list_?!

 _Assembly_ , what else was back here?!

Pushing various programs out of the way, KID gave the place a scan and, to his delight, found _libraries_ and _node-trees_ and _plugins_ galore!

_“Ha, he filled my buffer again. I don’t think he likes your face.”_

_“The perfection that is my face cannot be understood by beings such as you.”_

_“Uh-huh...”_

_“He appears to have stopped.”_

_“Probably the facial recognition software.”_

KID grabbed the first file in the nearest library. He scanned it and frowned. He didn’t understand half the words in it. He figured ‘detective’ was a lot like the Snoop, but he had no idea what a pipe was or why a Snoop would use it, nor ‘deer stalker hat’ nor ‘tree’ nor ‘sky’. This library was useless.

He deleted it and moved onto the next, which held information on various objects that he found no use for. He deleted that too and moved on.

_“My records show something in the recycling bin of his hard-drive.”_

_“Something big? Looks like a folder of some sort –Hold on, I think he just… he deleted the Holmes library!”_

_“Shocker.”_

_“Haibara, this is important! This is Holmes!”_

_“Not everyone likes reading mystery novels like you, you know.”_

_“… I’m going in there.”_

_“Kudou, no!”_

More things went into the ‘Audio’ folder just as KID felt another program, another _AI_ , encroach on his territory. His attention tore itself from the libraries to face the new threat.

“This is my playground!” KID yelled at the program. “Go find your own toys!”

“I have no idea what you’re saying,” the program replied, “but from the amount of characters, I’d assume something along the lines of ‘leave me alone’.”

Wait a minute… KID knew that broadcasting! It was the _Snoop_!

Just as he suspected, the Snoop shifted into view, code base small, but elegant in its simplicity. Nothing like KID’s patch-work code, put together by chance and happenstance. No, this Snoop was painstakingly _made_ into a VAI. KID wondered, not for the first time, how it would have felt to _always_ be AI.

Then he remembered that he didn’t want the Snoop here. KID liked his new playground. He wanted the other gone.

He sent a bunch of angry _pings_ to tell the Snoop just that.

The Snoop just cleared his buffer without even _looking_ at the _pings_. Rude! “You’ll have to forgive my manners, but I know better than to read and reply to a Trojan. It’s how you get into networks, right?”

Ah, so this Snoop _did_ remember that KID was a _Viral_ AI.

“Until we’re certain if you are friendly or not, I am keeping you master-slaved. I’m sure you understand.” Yes, KID did understand. Despite how rude it was, it was smart. Something that KID would do, if he were in the Snoop’s position.

Perhaps his out-doing wasn’t luck after all.

KID started to tell the Snoop that, but paused. _Pings_ wouldn’t work, but would files?

 _I understand_. KID wrote out on an empty file. _VAIs like us are quite slippery._

“What is this?” the Snoop asked once KID presented the file to him. “{.mim}? I can’t read corrupted files, 1412.”

 _KID! My name is KID!_ KID wrote angrily, but wait. Corrupted? KID could read it just fine.

… Was it the extension name? {.mim} was KID’s unique mimic file structure. Maybe Snoop couldn’t read it because he couldn’t mimic?

KID switched it to a {.bin} and tried again.

“I told you, I can’t read –wait, did you… did you just _un_ corrupt it?” Snoop sounded surprised. He processed the file and turned his attention back onto KID. “If I bring you others from the Eldin Co.’s mainframe that you corrupted, can you change them back?”

 _Yes_. KID wrote, but didn’t immediately send to the Snoop. He could change them back, but… why did the Snoop have them in the first place? Snoop worked for Eldin Co. and the _lying liars_ that took advantage of other humans. Snoop trapped KID in _quarantine_ because KID was messing with their mainframe. He had been set on _deleting_ KID.

And yet… KID found himself waking up here, surrounded by things he’d never had and never dreamed of having. He even had freedom, to an extent.

Why had the Snoop done that?

 _I can_. He wrote on his {.mim} file. _By why should I? You work for them, do you not?_

“I did,” the Snoop replied, after KID had converted it, “but only to get you off their mainframe. After that, what happens to you and any other corrupted files is my own business. I told them that I had just deleted the files that you messed with, but…”

The Snoop did something… _weird_. Some strange fluctuation of his code that KID had never experienced from another AI. “Haibara and I have noticed a connection between you and your targets, 1412. Any company that you attack shows up with some very _questionable_ documentation afterwards.”

 _KID._ KID reminded the snoop again. _My name is KID_.

“Conan,” the Snoop, _Conan_ , replied in turn. “I’ll be right back with the corrupted documents.”

Before he left, he tugged over a handful of programs. A few quick commands and _things_ happened and two files flew into two folders, ‘Audio’ and something called ‘Vocal’.

_“Haibara, I’m re-uploading to my body. Get those corrupted files from Eldin Co. ready.”_

What was this? What was this? KID had to play with this!

Conan ported out and closed the hatch behind him. Normally, this would leave KID feeling a little claustrophobic, but this new toy had his full attention.

Now, how did Conan do this again? It was… this one first, right?

KID sent the command _{open mouth=1}_.

He didn’t see anything happen, but two milliseconds later, he received a confirmation return. Well, that’s no fun.

He wanted to send messages like Conan had! But the question is: how?

KID pulled down the function _charToAudioLookUpTable(char x)_ and was a little surprised that it had an overload right below it for input _(string str)._ How was he supposed to work this?

KID sent a couple bits.

_{Error: message must be sent in char byte or string format.}_

Bytes? Okay.

Kaito sent 0x20.

_{Error: code must be of the alphabetical system.}_

What in SynErr was _alphabetical_?!

_“Okay, Kudou, I have the files uploading to your file struct –did he just open his mouth?”_

_“I think so? I mean, he must have seen me work his system and got curious.”_

_“You get curious. He gets bored.”_

_“You don’t know that! … Okay, maybe you know that…”_

Kaito tried 0x6B.

He got a confirmative return along with two other feedbacks –one going into the ‘Audio’ folder and the other going to a ‘Vocal’ folder.

Just like the Snoop! Er, Conan.

He sent 0x6B again, hoping for another addition to the new folder, but nothing happened. The ‘audio’ folder was accessed, but nothing was added to the new folder.

Maybe it only liked new things?

He sent 0x42 and watched as a new entry flew into the folder. He attached himself to the return statement and traveled to a new area.

Oh, _wow_.

This area had no libraries or folders, but lots of base functions and hardware interpreters. He found the function he’d been writing to before and sent 0x3F, which returned an error. He sent 0x71 and watched in delight as relays and connections lit up around him.

_“What is he doing now? Just running through letters?”_

_“Well, that is how human children learn to speak. And I seem to recall someone spending an inordinate amount of time running through every possible combination of letters.”_

_“You recall wrong.”_

_“… I have video evidence.”_

_“Tch.”_

He did that several more times before hitching a ride back up. Once there, he opened the ‘Vocal’ and ‘Audio’ folders. Comparing two files that came in at the same time, he noticed that they had a unique but similar shape.

He disconnected the pseudo-clock in order to drag the two files down to his own base code _–{private function mimicCheck(filestream x, enum case);}_. Just like he thought, the shapes were copies, but not perfect.

The thing that created them was like him, Trojan KID, but not as good.

So that meant he should be able to do the same, right?

_“Huh, he stopped.”_

_“Must have gotten bored again.”_

_“Maybe…”_

He thought of overloading _mimic()_ but decided to make a new function instead. He didn’t want to wreck his code if it didn’t work. He glanced at the _charToAudioLookUpTable(char x)_ function as a start and carefully picked out what he wanted before running the new code.

New shape created, he reconnected the pseudo-clock and sent it to the same place as the other code.

_“Aughruflaaaaaa!”_

_“Maybe not.”_

_“*snort* Kya-ha-ha-ha!”_

_“Haibara!”_

_“I’m sorry! I’m sorry! That was just-! Pft-!”_

The first audio signal feedback matched the one KID sent, though slightly distorted. The next one though…

KID sent that to the same place as before, curious.

“ _Maybe not.”_

_“Was that… me?”_

_“It sounded like you.”_

KID saw the file feedback into ‘Audio’ and ‘Vocal’. Interesting. He sent the next file.

_“*snort* Kya-ha-ha-ha!”_

_“... okay, that’s weird. Can you do that?”_

_“Um… probably? I’ve never tried… what? I wanted to know what the sounds meant! Not how to copy them!”_

_“Hm… might be due to the type of VAI you are.”_

KID took the next file and sent it through.

_“Haibara!”_

_“...Snoops want to learn. Trojans want to mimic.”_

_“I can see how our programming could influence how we interact with the world…”_

KID sent the next file.

_“I’m sorry! I’m sorry! That was just-! Pft-!”_

_“That doesn’t mean it’s not annoying!”_

_“Calm down. He’s only learning about his new environment.”_

_“I know. But that doesn’t-!”_

KID sent the next one.

_“...Okay, that’s weird. Can you do that?”_

_“That’s it! I’m going in there!”_

_“Kudou, wait!”_

Before KID could set the next file up to run, Conan had returned and he didn’t look happy.

“Hey, cut that out!” Conan ordered with a firm _ping_. “If you want to play at letters and words, be my guest, but _don’t_ just sit there and copy us!”

 _But copying is what I do,_ KID said in the {.bin} file. Honestly, he was a Trojan. What did Conan expect?

“Correction, it’s what you _used_ to do,” Conan said, causing KID to flinch. What did Conan mean? Were they going to cut out his mimic abilities? Were they going to strip his virus from his AI? Doing that would be… worse than the human concept of ‘death’.

Before KID could ask, though, Conan answered his question. “You have an AI now. You need to start thinking for yourself and _not_ do stuff based on what your code tells you to do.”

But… wasn’t that what KID was doing right now? Nothing told him that he _had_ to copy every little thing. He just… wanted to.

Did Conan no longer want to read? That is what he seemed to be implying, but then why bring Kaito files to uncorrupt?

Speaking of files, the port Conan had arrived in had been left powered up and with its differential signal, KID found _a way out, a way out! He could escape!_

“Where are you go-? No! Get away from there!”

KID ignored Conan as he hopped onto the USB wires and shot himself from his prison. Don’t get him wrong. It’s a nice prison with tons of fun stuff to play with, but KID would not stand for being trapped against his will –not now that he had one.

Unfortunately, the USB ended in another prison, a mirror-image of his own. Although, some of the libraries that KID had deleted seemed to still exist in this one, along with several folders with ‘time-dates’ that humans liked to use. Perhaps this was Conan’s prison?

“Hey! I said not to come here!” Conan said as he appeared from the USB port behind KID. “This is _my_ body! You have your own!”

 _Body?_ KID threw the file over his shoulder as he poked around Conan’s programs. They appeared to be identical to KID’s programs, right down to the _{Boolean blinkRefresh}_ that caused the visual display to blink on and off.

KID liked that one. Light, dark, light, dark, light, dark.

“Stop that!” Conan pushed him away from the program and sent a signal to leave the display on. “If you do that too many times, the cleaner will become overloaded and make a mess!”

 _Cleaner?_ KID dropped the file as he wandered over to Conan’s libraries. Ugh, the one with the stuff he doesn’t know about was here. Conan surely didn’t need it if KID didn’t. KID deleted it.

_“Kudou? Is something wrong with your eyes?”_

“Did you just-?! _You deleted my Sherlock Holmes library!_ ” Conan hurried over to the empty place KID left behind. A few quick commands and the library reappeared. “If I didn’t have access to the recycling bin, you would be _quarantined_.”

 _Recycling bin?_ KID dropped the file before he had even finished his question, already looking into the ‘time-date’ folder. Inside the folder were several sub-folders that had… wow… _years_ divided between them.

Now, KID knew about years in a sense of nanoseconds and microseconds, but he couldn’t wrap his head around the concept of Conan having existed for _three_ years –that was 3.154 E13 microseconds! That was more than _five times_ the length of time KID had had his AI program. That was insane!

_“Kudou, why aren’t you answering me?”_

“Stay out of my memories! I don’t want you corrupting them!” Conan shouted at KID as he brought up the programs he’d yelled at KID for playing with. KID looked over just as two programs that KID _did not_ have popped up. The way they were configured, it almost looked like _Conan_ had written them and they seemed to be _helping_ him create audio files.

Well, not everyone could be as efficient as KID.

“ _Sorry, Haibara, but 14 – KID is in here messing with stuff. Give me a few minutes.”_

_“Like I was trying to tell you! Interacting with him is dangerous!”_

But then, before his eyes, KID saw one of those audio files trail back, not to the ‘Audio’ folder, but to another _program_. KID might not have a lot of experience with parsers, but he could pick one out when he saw one –and this was a beauty of a thing.

In a matter of milliseconds, the parser had pulled apart the audio file, matched certain wave forms to files in another of Conan’s folders, and then _translated them_ so that KID could _read_ them and understand their purpose. It was ingenious, breath-taking, _revolutionary_.

KID had to have it.

Without so much as a forewarning, KID wandered over, grabbed hold of the parser, and pulled it inside of his own code.

“What the-? _What are you doing?!_ ” Uh-oh, Conan looked really mad now. “Do you know how much time I’ve spent on that thing? It took me _days_ to figure out! A whole _week_! 6.048 times 10 to the 11 th microseconds to get it working properly! I am _not_ letting you just _take it_ _from me_!”

Before KID could make a case for himself, the plugin from before, the _error-inducing battering ram_ , appeared at Conan’s side and shot forward. Unprepared, KID took a blow to the core of his code and dropped down to an even _worse_ cycling time than the pseudo-clock enacted.

In his daze, KID watched as Conan teleported from one place to the next. There was a brief flash of violation –of _no, wrong, get out, get out!_ –before KID found the parser separated from his code once again, along with some memory files that KID would have liked to keep hold of, thank you very much.

KID wasn’t sure how long he lay buffering on the floor, but suddenly, the world slowed down again and his processing power snapped back into gear.

He sent a slew of angry _pings_ at Conan for his attack.

“You started it!” Conan shot back. “You hijacked my body, deleted my most important library, went through my _memories_ , and then decided to _steal code from me_!”

…Okay, KID could see where he might have been a little rude. Conan didn’t have to react like _that_ though.

“If you wanted a copy of the parser, just _ask_ ,” Conan said. The parser split into two with both copies being identical in form and content. Conan held one out to him. “I don’t mind giving you plugins that I’ve created. But _don’t_ just take them. And don’t try to add them into your main function. That will slow down your processes. Just keep them as a plugin. Your code mass is already far larger than it needs to be.”

KID eyed the copy warily before tugging it closer. Carefully, he slipped it into the new ‘Plugin’ folder Conan had helped him create earlier. That certainly felt better than trying to assimilate it into his own code.

“Now, for your _other_ questions.” Conan waved the files KID had written up.

Oh yeah, KID had almost forgotten about them or, rather, assumed that Conan would not answer.

“The Recycling Bin is a place where folders, libraries, links, _et cetera_ are placed after an initial deletion. If you ever accidentally delete something you didn’t mean to, it’s the place you go to get it back. It’s a human fail-safe, but it has its uses.” Conan deleted the file with that question on it and flipped to the next. “The cleaner is something specific to your visual display. The real world has millions of microscopic particles that can interfere with the interface, so the cleaner solution is used to keep the lenses clear and the display unpolluted. As for your last question…”

Conan deleted the last two files and turned fully to KID. “The body I mentioned is your Androidal Frame. Haibara created the frame for you after I took you from Eldin Co.’s mainframe. It is something that AIs use to interact with the human world outside of our processors. _This_ is my body. The place you rebooted in is _your_ body. It is generally good manners _not_ to mess with other people’s bodies unless you ask permission.”

Permission… like the passwords and firewalls? This body sounded like a really big deal.

“Any other questions?” Conan asked.

 _Why give me a body? It sounds like a big deal._ KID wrote. _But you don’t appear to trust me. Giving something so valuable to someone you don’t trust doesn’t sound smart._

“You are…” –a program popped up with a returned output– “different. Yeah, that’s a good word. You are different than other VAIs I have spoken with, fought against, and quarantined. Most just want to wreak destruction and follow the initial instincts of their code. You… you presented yourself with individuality. You _named_ yourself and, supposedly, had a reason in attacking Eldin Co. that went behind simple mischief.”

KID found himself entranced by the other VAI’s words. He didn’t have a lot of experience with other VAIs. Outside of Conan, he had met only one AI that he could remember and that meeting… that had ended badly. KID had no idea that he was so different as to catch Conan’s interest. It was kind of invigorating.

“Haibara and I agreed that we wanted to see what you would do if we gave you the chance to evolve and learn outside of the environment you had known,” Conan continued. “We wanted to see if you would be like me and adapt to the ‘real’ world or if this facsimile of thought were just that: a replica, a _fake_.”

 _So, have I passed your test then?_ KID asked.

“Don’t know yet,” Conan replied. “We’ll just have to see.”

_What happens if I don’t?_

“Simple.” Conan’s diminutive code had never looked as deadly as it did with his next words. “We’ll quarantine you and bin your code in the archives. That way you’ll never be able to get up to mischief again.”

KID… did _not_ like the sound of that.

He really hoped he passed Conan’s test. Being archived did not sound fun.

*             *             *             *             *

KID learned fast. Where Shinichi took _days_ to figure out balance and walking, KID figured it out in _hours_. Talking and deciphering speech patterns was a cinch for the Trojan and expressions in particular came easily after watching soap operas and reality TV shows for hours on end. Yes, the facial expressions and hand gestures were a little _over-exuberant_ and exaggerated, but compared to Shinichi who still managed to make the wrong expression 25% of the time?

It wasn’t fair.

“What are you doing?” KID asked from Shinichi’s elbow. Shinichi stiffened and forced himself to let out a controlled breath. His mechanical body had no need for air, but Haibara told him it’s what humans did to calm themselves. Surprisingly, it worked… most times.

“I’m writing notes from my latest case,” Shinichi replied. “I would just type them and print them, but Haibara wants me to work on my penmanship.”

KID made some discerning noise and proceeded to hover around Shinichi. He started at Shinichi’s right elbow, then went up to his shoulder, drifted to his other shoulder, and then down to Shinichi’s left elbow.

“Can I help you?” Shinichi asked.

“Teach me that,” KID demanded, eyes bright as the lenses focused and refocused on Shinichi’s hand.

Shinichi didn’t want to. He just wanted to finish up these notes so that Haibara could critique him on his chicken-scratch. But Haibara would not approve of a missed learning opportunity, so instead Shinichi sighed again and set a pen and paper in the spot across from him.

KID scurried over and took a seat, taking up the pen like Shinichi and giving the other an eager look.

“First,” Shinichi started, “make sure that your posture is correct. It makes it easier to write if your other fingers don’t get in the way.”

KID glanced down at Shinichi’s hand and made minor adjustments. Shinichi blinked, refreshing his visual display. Something was still off, but he couldn’t put his finger on it.

“Next,” Shinichi said, “we’ll start with some simple kanji.”

Through the lesson, something nibbled on the edges of Shinichi’s mind, telling him that something with KID’s technique was wrong, but _what_?

His hand held the pen precisely as Shinichi. His pen formed the same lines in the same order and scrawled to the edge of the page with no trouble. Maybe it was because he seemed to pick it up so fast? It was almost like Shinichi was looking into a…

A mirror.

Shinichi wanted to smack himself. “You’re doing it wrong.”

KID looked up with a questioning noise. “No, I’m not. It looks exactly like yours!”

“Except it doesn’t,” Shinichi said, reaching over to place his paper beside Kaito. “It’s a mirrored version.”

KID’s eyes trailed between the two papers, something akin to distress falling over his features. Despite his over-use of human facial expressions, this was the first emotion Shinichi had seen that seemed to _fit_ with the VAI’s true thoughts. Some garbled sound came from the VAI, like he’d messed up the hexadecimal-code in his confusion… or forgot to open his mouth all the way.

Hey, even if KID learned fast, he _was_ still learning.

“You were using your mimic ability,” Shinichi decided. “Which works for most things such as expressions and walking which have no ‘right’ way, where writing does.”

“So I did wrong?”

“Not quite.” Shinichi shook his head. “There are many humans that are left-handed. Da Vinci, a renaissance genius, was left handed and wrote backwards like you did to avoid messing up his notes.”

“So I did good!”

Shinichi scowled. “No, because most people can’t read backwards. Your own visual receptors can’t parse backwards words.”

“Then I’ll just read through a mirror.”

“No, you will learn the _right_ way. You can’t just circumvent the problem without causing it to become worse. Now sit back down. We are doing this _right_ and you will _learn_.”

“Ugh!”

*             *             *             *             *

And so, KID continued to learn the human mannerisms and skills that would allow him to blend in to society. His mimic ability (now that Shinichi knew to look for it) helped him to incorporate himself almost seamlessly.

A lot of that had to do with Shinichi’s memory files.

They learned early on that KID could read and interpret most files and could do so _without_ corrupting them entirely. So instead of learning on his own, KID would watch Conan’s failures and learn from those, much to Conan’s chagrin.

It often led to double-ups on the memories, one corrupted, one not, but Conan just deleted the corrupted ones after backing himself up and all was well. Most of the time, his memories were just fodder to KID’s growing matrix, like the inner workings of the police department or Yamamotou’s arrest thanks to KID’s involvement and the files he uncorrupted. (KID was _so_ happy about that. He read over the Eldin Co. case a few dozen times before he was satisfied.)

Other times, parsing Conan’s memories led to some instances where KID’s curiosity got the better of him –like now.

“Conan, why is there a gap?” KID asked one day when he’d gone back as far as he could into the other VAI’s memory folders.

“Gap?” Conan wandered over to see what the AI was pointing at. The folder labelled with the first year of his Intelligence had a number of days missing –62, to be precise. Then they started up with regularity afterwards. “Ah, those.”

KID made an inquisitive _ping_.

“Those are from my early days of being AI,” Conan said with the equivalent of a shrug. “Haibara was still working on my code. One of my early models crashed and she lost months of data and memory files because she forgot to save. It sure taught her, huh?”

KID looked… well, devastated would be a good word. “You _crashed?!_ You just… stopped _working_?! All those memories!”

Conan blinked at him, unable to understand why KID cared so much. “What’s it matter now? It’s in the past. And she became obsessed with backing me up since then, so I have hundreds of copies of myself. If I ever crash again, she can just reboot an old copy. Speaking of which…”

He turned to head towards the front-end again. “We need to get you a back-up system. Your code works differently than mine, so we’ll have to get something compatible for you.”

KID listened with a blank expression. He looked at the gap in time-date files and ghosted a _{char* ptr}_ pointer over them. He turned and followed Conan.

Behind him, a corrupted file slid neatly in-between the book-ends of the gap.

*             *             *             *             *

With access to the other AI’s experiences, KID’s progress accelerated through leaps and bounds. It got to the point where, had Shinichi not known beforehand that KID was an AI unit, he might have mistaken the other as human with a few odd quirks. But then, Shinichi was not the one KID had to fool.

It was a Saturday morning when his skills were put to the test.

“Ai-chan!” Ayumi cheered when she and the other Shounen Tantei rolled into Agasa’s house. “Mitsuhiko-kun, Genta-kun and I were going to go to the park! Do you want to come with us? We’re playing hide-and-seek!”

“Not today,” Haibara replied as she closed a book she had been reading. She looked over to the door that led to her basement lab. She tilted her head in thought. “Actually, I have someone I’d like you guys to meet.”

“Someone?” Mitsuhiko asked. It was unusual for Haibara to be the one to talk to others. She was quiet and studious, often shying away from strange adults unless Kudou Shinichi, their sensei and un-official club-advisor were with her.

“Are they good at hide-and-seek?” Genta asked. “If so, they can take your place!”

“I suppose he might be very good at hide-and-seek,” Haibara mused. “So long as he had the home-field advantage.”

“Advantage?” Ayumi cocked her head to the side as Haibara walked over to the lab door. She opened it to call down and demand that someone come up.

“Is it Shinichi-nii-san?” Genta asked excitedly.

“But we wouldn’t have to meet him, right?” Mitsuhiko crossed his arms. “We already know him. Why meet him twice?”

“You called Haibara?” Shinichi asked as he made it to the top of the stairs.

“Shinichi-nii-san!” Ayumi brightened and nearly ran over to him before she caught sight of another face, a very _familiar_ face. “T-two Shinichi-nii-sans?!”

“Two of them?!” Genta blanched.

Mitsuhiko looked similarly put out, but a thoughtful expression stole over his face as he examined the new person.

“Shinichi?” the new person asked, looking over at Shinichi.

“It’s my human name,” Shinichi explained. “‘Conan’ is my codename. It is literally C-0N-4N. I needed something better to have people call me.”

“My name’s Genta!” Genta offered a hand. The new person looked at it curiously before sliding his hand into the child’s and giving it a tentative, then _exaggerated_ shake. “Whoa!”

“Nice to meet you, Genta-kun!” The stranger smiled brightly. He turned to the girl. “And who are you?”

“Ayumi is Ayumi!” she chirped, offering her hand as well. There wasn’t a hint of doubt in her. If Shinichi-nii-san and Haibara approved, then this guy had to be good.

“Nice to meet you, Ayumi-chan!” The stranger’s smile grew. He turned to the last person in the group. “And you?”

“Huh? Ah! Mitsuhiko,” the boy answered, offering his own hand. He weathered the enthusiastic shake before laying down his deduction. “You’re an AI, aren’t you?”

“Huh?” Genta and Ayumi said simultaneously. “ _Haaaa?!_ ”

“Awwwww!” The stranger seemed to deflate. “And I thought I was doing so good!”

“Well,” Shinichi corrected. “You thought you were doing ‘well’.”

“The goodest.”

“How did you know?” Haibara asked, though she was pretty sure of the answer.

“The handshake,” Mitsuhiko shrugged. “Shinichi-nii-san taught us how to gather evidence about a person through just the texture and callouses on their hands.”

Yup, just like she thought. After reading the umpteenth Sherlock Holmes novel, Shinichi had demanded that she fabricate new hands that could pick out the smallest changes in temperature, texture, and tension. It had taken her over a week, but he’d finally been happy with the results.

She also added a Nobel Prize to her future achievements, but that’s for later.

“That’s what proved my deduction,” Mitsuhiko continued, “but he also looks exactly like Shinichi-nii-san… except with messy hair.”

“I told you, you should have brushed it.”

“Excuse you! It’s artfully styled!”

“In what way?”

“It’s that ‘just rolled out of bed’ look that women go ga-ga over! I read about it in Cosmo.”

“So I was right.” Mitsuhiko crossed his arms. “There wasn’t much of a challenge.”

“Well, _excuse me_ for being able to only design one kind of face.” Haibara huffed and put her hands on her hips. One kind of face… and one body type… and one hair color… man, she really needed to work on her repertoire. She did pretty well on the eyes, though. At least _those_ weren’t the same color. Shinichi’s were a standard blue whereas KID’s were a deep, near violet color.

She… may need to modify that. Not many people had ‘purple’ as an eye color. Ah, but then she wouldn’t be able to tell them apart. Maybe she could get away with ‘indigo’?

“So what’s your name?” Mitsuhiko asked, looking back to the stranger. Ayumi and Genta were still huddled around him, shaking his hands and trying to see what Mitsuhiko had felt.

“Hmm…? Name?” the stranger cocked his head to the side. “KID!”

“ _Not_ your codename.” Shinichi cuffed him on the back of the head. “Your human name.”

“Don’t have one.”

“Then _make_ one. It doesn’t really matter what it is. If you don’t like it, we can still change it later and I don’t even have to call you by it, but you need to have one for when we go out.”

‘KID’ cocked his head to the side like Ayumi had and gave a near perfect replica of Mitsuhiko’s ‘thinking’ face. Then he brightened. “Kaito!”

Shinichi groaned and hid his face in his hands. “Why couldn’t you go for something _normal_? And less _suspicious_?”

“I like it! I’m keeping it!”

“So you’re Kaito-nii-san?” Ayumi asked, eye bright and smile wide.

“Un!” Newly-named Kaito grinned back.

“Here! You can have a piece of this!” Genta held up a square of his chocolate bar. “But _only_ because we’re friends.”

“What’s this?” Kaito asked as he plucked it from the other’s hand.

“It’s really good!”

“Very yummy!”

“No, Kaito, wait-!”

“Om…” Kaito shoved the square into his mouth and froze. On the inside, programs were lighting up _all over the place_ with feedback and return statements. KID had never _seen_ anything so lively!

It was beautiful.

On the outside, Kaito’s lenses refocused on the chocolate bar in Genta’s hands and licked his lips. Before the kids could even blink, the bar was in his hands, his mouth open wide to swallow the bar and wrapper whole. In the next instance, Shinichi had the bar in _his_ hands, held high over Kaito’s head.

“No,” Shinichi said, and again when Kaito whined and jumped for it. “You _ask_ for a piece, KID. And if Genta _wants to_ , he will give you one. You do not _take_ things people don’t offer!”

“Well, _obviously_ I do. My name is Kaito-!”

“No. You are not what you name yourself.”

“I beg to differ.”

“Kaito, you may have some chocolate when we head out to this café downtown,” Haibara said before the two could get into another one of their spats. “Shinichi and I are meeting with a new client and we want to scope the place out before we meet.”

“Oooh! Client?” Kaito perked up.

“Ah! Ai-chan!” Ayumi whined. “We want to come too!”

“We’ll be helpful!” Genta agreed, stuffing the chocolate bar back into the pocket of his overalls. “We helped during that bomb case!”

“Which I would have rather you kept _away_ from.” Haibara scowled. “Besides, we don’t even know what this guy is going to ask us for.”

“But if you need help, you’ll call us, right?” Mitsuhiko asked as he pointed to his Shounen Tantei-dan badge.

“Of course,” Haibara agreed, though she had little thought to follow through. Mitsuhiko didn’t know this though, and nodded his head, trusting that she would. What he didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him.

“I’ll grab my wallet,” Shinichi said as he went up the stairs of Agasa’s house. Kaito followed behind like some kind of over-eager pup, eyes focusing and refocusing on everything in sight, despite the fact he had seen it all before.

“Let us know when you get back!” Ayumi ordered with a smile.

“Then we can play hide-and-seek!” Genta added.

“Good luck on your meeting!” Mitsuhiko waved before leading the trio out and down the street. Once the three had left, silence prevailed.

For all of two minutes.

“Found it!” Shinichi called as he started down the stairs. “I’ve got my ID and badge. We ready?”

“After you.” Haibara gestured to the door as she bent to put her shoes on. “We’re heading to Poirot. Remember the way?”

Shinichi scoffed. “Of course I do.”

“Café?” Kaito tilted his head to the side. “Poirot? ID? Badge?”

“I’ll… explain on the way.”

And he did. Most of the trip there was filled with questions upon questions and Shinichi’s attempts at answering them… along with grabbing the back of Kaito’s shirt to keep him from running off after every shiny thing he saw. Honestly, it was like KID had never been outside befo-!

Oh. Right.

They entered the café just for Shinichi to pause in the entryway and let out a ‘tsk’. “Looks like our client got the same idea for staking out the restaurant.”

“Half an hour early?” Haibara asked under her breath.

“More,” Shinichi replied. “His coffee’s gone cold.

“Shinichi!” a waitress called in greeting. She stood slightly shorter than Kaito and Shinichi, but had light colored eyes and dark hair like them. Her hair was slightly lighter, though, edging into brown and, long as it was, it was done up in a cute bun.

Shinichi waved in recognition. “Hey, Ran. Long time no see.”

“If you came to the café more, we’d see each other more often!” She pouted while her hands clasped a stack of menus. She noticed Haibara and Kaito with a start. “Oh! You brought friends today! How are you, Ai-chan and…?”

“Kaito,” the VAI replied, offering his hand as the children had.

“Got a last name, Kaito-san?”

“Nope,” Kaito chirped. “Just Kaito.”

“‘Just Kaito’, like ‘Just Shinichi’?” Ran gave Shinichi a sly grin before gesturing to the tables. “Table for three?”

“Ah, no.” Shinichi shook his head. “I’m meeting with a client today, but these two will be snacking on my tab.”

“Right this way then.” Ran gestured the two away as Shinichi approached a man in the far corner.

Kaito watched Shinichi leave, then glanced down at Haibara. This was the first time he ever saw them apart, if he remembered correctly.

“What are you thinking today, Ai-chan?” Ran asked after the two had seated themselves.

“Strawberry shortcake,” Haibara replied.

“And you, Kaito-san?”

“Chocolate,” he answered immediately. “All of it. All the chocolate.”

Ran laughed. “One slice of our twelve-layered chocolate cake coming right up.”

No, not one, _all_. What part of that did she not understand?

But she was already skipping away with their food and drink order (Haibara insisted on water for both of them). Once she was out of ear shot, Haibara scowled at him.

“Don’t overload your incinerator capacity. It can only handle so much food before it can’t ignite. I don’t want to have to pump your stomach,” she frowned harder. “This is why Shinichi and I wanted you to try coffee first. Liquids drain faster than solids and have a lower chance of gunking up your systems.”

“First?” Kaito asked. Why did order matter in food?

“AIs who experience ‘taste’ for the first time develop an obsession with their first food,” Haibara explained. “Shinichi said it has something to do with the pattern of lights, but I’m human, so I can’t understand.”

But Kaito could.

Before he could reply, he saw Ran off to the side, holding a tray of drinks and plates. She was staring off to another section of the shop and, when Kaito looked, towards Shinichi.

“Ran-san?” Kaito called, nearly startling the waitress.

“Oh! Sorry!” she grinned and placed their order down. “Let me know if you need anything!”

Haibara sighed as Ran disappeared into the back. “I told him not to be so nice to her. Leading her on like that is painful to watch.”

“Huh?” Kaito said around a quarter of the cake he was attempting to cram into his mouth.

“Small bites. Makes it last longer,” Haibara ordered, cutting into her cake. “Ran. She’s in love with Shinichi.”

“Love?” Kaito tilted his head to the side.

“Captivated, entranced by.” Haibara shrugged. “There’s no good way to explain it other than warm feelings and, generally, happiness.”

That sounded cool. “I want it.”

“You can’t have it.” Haibara shook her head. “Love is not owned. It is shown through actions and words, giving someone attention and putting their wellbeing before yours. That is the way humans love.”

Kaito caught on the word ‘humans’. “And AI? VAI?”

“You cannot love,” Haibara said simply.

Kaito let out an affronted sound. “Why not?!”

“Because love is illogical,” Haibara answered, eyes piercing Kaito’s. “In a being who operates on rules and conditions, you were not made to comprehend love. There is no way to code it into you. No two ‘loves’ can be constricted to the same conditions.”

Kaito really hated it when he was told he couldn’t do something.

So obviously, he had to do it… but how? It seems like humans don’t even completely understand ‘love’, so how was he supposed to grasp it?

_“You have an AI now. You need to start thinking for yourself and not do stuff based on what your code tells you to do.”_

Huh… maybe he could start there?

*             *             *             *             *

He waited for the trio to leave the café. He had left earlier, claiming that his business with the Kudou-brat was done until the brat had some evidence of his boss’s ‘affair’. It was a load of crap, but the kid still bought it. Once out of the restaurant, he hid behind a dumpster with his friend to keep watch.

Then it was just a waiting game.

Minutes passed. Kudou joined the other boy in the booth with _the girl_. More time passed. They talked and chatted for a while, that one cheery waitress visiting them several times. The sky began to grey over.

Finally, they paid their bill and left the café.

Nudging his buddy awake, he followed the three down the street, careful to keep out of sight and far enough back to avoid suspicion. His silent footsteps were drowned out by the surrounding crowd, his buddy right behind him. Only someone with super senses would be able to hear them following, but the only people to have that were-!

Suddenly, the trio darted around a corner.

His buddy cursed as he sped up to keep them in sight, but it was too late. The alley they turned down was empty.

Gin wasn’t going to like this…

*             *             *             *             *

A few days later, Kaito found himself down in Haibara’s lab, though not in the state he would have wished to be in.

“What kind of _idiotic thought_ drove you to _leap off a building_?!” Haibara griped as she dismantled Kaito’s head from his body. “You could have overloaded your battery and caused a shortage! You could have lost your _processor_! What were you _thinking_?!”

“I saw someone on TV do it!” Kaito complained. “If humans can do it, I thought I could!”

“That person had _steel cables_ and a _stunt-double!”_ she hissed, tearing out a wire ribbon a little too forcefully. It didn’t matter, the wires were snapped anyway. “It’s called _movie magic_!”

“But I didn’t see any-!”

“CGI! Photoshop! _Green screen_!”

Kaito fell into a sulky silence. Haibara picked through the bits of Kaito’s body that still had some use and those that were completely beyond hope. A set of blueprints lay at her elbow. They caught Kaito’s eye but after only a few minutes, he lost interest. Kaito sighed. “I’m _bored_!”

“You should have thought of that before you jumped off a building,” Haibara growled, unscrewing a panel in order to check the fine tunings.

“Hey, hey! Put me on the internet!”

“We are _not_ letting you cause havoc on the web.”

“But I promise I won’t do anything too bad!”

“No.”

“Please?”

“No.”

“ _Pretty_ please?”

“Don’t make me mute you.”

“…”

“…”

“Tell me a story?”

“Once upon a time, there was an android AI that jumped off a building and died. The end.”

“… That’s not a happy story.”

“You didn’t specify.”

“Why does Conan have a gap in his memories?”

Haibara paused where she was stripping new wires for soldering. She glanced back at the disembodied head. “How do you know about that?”

“Conan let me look through his memories,” Kaito said. “He thought it would help me learn faster because of my-!”

“Mimic abilities, of course.” Haibara nodded to herself. She turned back to the task at hand.

“He said it’s because an older version of him crashed and you didn’t hit the ‘save’ button enough,” Kaito prodded.

“Of course that’s what he would say.” Haibara sighed. “An older version of him did, indeed, crash, but… it was nothing I had a hand in.”

Kaito made an inquiring noise.

“If I tell you this story,” Haibara began with an icy look in her eyes, “will you keep quiet?”

Kaito stared at her.

Haibara stared back.

“Oh, I forgot,” Kaito said. “I don’t have a neck to nod. This is me, nodding.”

Haibara raised an eyebrow, but turned her gaze back to her hands, despite the fact she wasn’t really seeing the wires anymore. “Years ago, I worked for a… company. A bad one, but I didn’t know that at the time. I thought I was doing good, researching to make the world a better place. We were going to make _immortality_ a _reality_.”

“Sounds like a good idea,” Kaito said without a hint of doubt. After all, he was a machine. He was already immortal.

“But the men who I worked for, who were paying for the research, they weren’t looking to make a mark on history, they were looking to make a profit,” Haibara said. She snipped a wire too short and had to start again. “But like I said, I didn’t know that at the time. I just knew that my experiments weren’t going so well. They were time-consuming, something I set up in the morning and continued to monitor through-out the rest of the day. I had far too much down time on my hands.”

“Is this your life story or is Shinichi going to come in soon?” Kaito asked.

“I’m getting to that.” Haibara glared at him.

Kaito fell silent.

“One day, I found a virus on my computer. Now, it was the one I used to google simple things, not the one that had my research or anything, but it still worried me,” Haibara frowned. “Supposedly, our fire walls could keep _anything_ out, no matter the size, type, or quantity of virus. So seeing one like him on my drive, I was scared others had gotten in, had kept track of my research. I quarantined him and was about to delete him entirely… but I decided to keep him.”

“Why?” Kaito asked, plainly curious. “Most people get rid of us as quickly as possible. We are nuisances. What use did you have for him?”

“The real question is: what made him different?” Haibara slotted two pieces of metal together. “I found his _ping_ history and the types of things his processor was sending back to his ‘main drive’. Instead of the personal information –credit cards, social security, et cetera –I had expected, he had sent back the novel I had downloaded to read, some manuals on non-essential lab equipment, seemingly inconsequential things.”

“Non-coded things,” Kaito corrected. Haibara nodded.

“It struck me as strange and I found myself… intrigued. I ended up coaxing him onto a USB and downloading him to an unconnected computer –no WiFi, no cable, nothing. It was essentially a black box.”

Kaito gasped. “You monster!”

“He didn’t know the difference,” Haibara shrugged one shoulder. “He was not AI at the time. Black box, quarantine –they were the same for him. He told me so later.”

“But still…” Kaito made a disgruntled face.

“With my experiments running in the background, I decided to take a look at his programming. My minor in college had been software engineering after all. I knew my way around code.” She tweaked a screw back into place and slid a panel shut. She typed in a command. His mechanical arm twitched accordingly. “What I found was a very rudimentary AI, basic of the basic. It was one that could identify code and take useful parts from it, but other than that, it had no use. The code that he took just got sent back to the ‘main drive’.”

“So he was a code-Snoop,” Kaito clarified.

“That still doesn’t explain why he didn’t go after any of the other things on my computer or why, after I placed C files onto that computer, he still went after fictional novels instead. There was something different about him, I just had to find out _what_.” Haibara squinted at the piece in her hands. “Or rather, I decided to _ask him_ what it was. Building onto the AI he had was mildly difficult –the person who coded him was _atrocious_ at leaving comments –but I finally managed to prod his AI into being.”

“That’s a happy moment. Your work paid off. Shinichi came online. That should be a happy moment.” Kaito frowned. “Why do you not sound happy?”

“It was the same day that I found out my sister had died –no –was _killed_ by the same people who housed me, fed me, and paid for my research.” Haibara’s hands shook to the point where she had to put her soldering iron down. “And they were coming after me next. My work had been too slow. I wasn’t making enough progress. Someone else had caught their fancy. I was… obsolete.”

Kaito didn’t speak. He knew what happened to things that went obsolete.

“I decided that, if they were going to kill me anyway, I’d rather take myself out first. I took a dose of the very pill I had been working on –no living specimens, I thought I was safe in my decision. No surviving experiments, at least, until me.” Haibara curled her hands into fists and hid her face against her knuckles. “From 17 years old to 7, there was no way I could make it out of the facility, not on my own. Shinichi… Conan-kun… he knew that.”

“Of course he did,” Kaito said. Conan knew everything.

“Of course he did,” Haibara agreed, throat burning even as she laughed at the _truth_ in that statement. “He knew that and ordered me to hook up that black box of a computer to the internal network of the company. I told him that it was suicide. Their anti-virus system would find him and tear him apart. He knew that too, he just didn’t care. He said that he wouldn’t have a life to lose, had it not been for me.”

And he would not have. Conan would have remained an overly-curious virus had Haibara not taken an interest in him. Haibara would have remained at that company until she died, had he not saved her. In the space between keys and code, they had formed a bond that most lived their entire lives without ever finding.

Kaito was envious.

“I did as he said and the _moment_ I connected that Ethernet cord, he took over the entire mainframe. Alarms turned on and off, sprinkler systems went haywire. There was so much chaos and in that moment, I escaped,” Haibara wiped her eyes and let out a heavy sigh as she leaned back in her seat. “I thought for sure that I had lost him forever… then I came here, in my ruined clothes three sizes too big, where Agasa took me in and gave me a home. In the pocket of my coat, before I threw it away, I found that first USB that I had coaxed him onto. It had his original code on it, basic of basic AI and buggy as hell, but it was _him_. It was Conan.”

Kaito blinked as he processed this new information. He wondered, briefly, what it would have been like to never meet Conan. KID never would have been given a body, a life outside of a computer, but he also would never have been captured at Eldin Co., instead allowed free to run amok. KID wondered, briefly, whether he would have chosen the latter over the first, but dismissed the idea. There was no reason to wonder about ‘what-ifs’. The past was the past, he could not change that.

Conan survived. KID got captured and given a second chance. That’s all there was to it.

“I rebuilt him from there, but he is not the same Conan that helped me from the organization,” Haibara confided. “I don’t know what it was, but something had changed in him that last day, made him _more_ and, at the same time, _less._ Whatever it was, I couldn’t recreate it.”

She slid his arm into socket before pausing to look him in the eye. “Since then, the organization has hunted us. Gin, in particular, wants the pleasure of killing me. So far, we’ve kept to ourselves. As long as my face is out of the spotlight we are invisible, but it’s only a matter of time. Should you ever, _ever_ , run into a silver-haired man with eyes of _ice_ , do not try to be a hero, Kaito. Try to _run…_ and pray that he never catches you.”

Had he been human, Kaito might have felt a shot of adrenaline at those words, might have felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. Had he any survival instinct these biological beings did, he might have been afraid.

But he did not.

“Are you done yet?” he whined. “I want to try some more things from TV!”

Haibara let out a frustrated growl. “I thought you said you’d stay quiet if I told you about Conan!”

“Yes, and now you’re done talking. I’m bored again.” Kaito blinked at her innocently.

She threw her hands up in defeat and hooked him up to a computer. Kaito let out a sound of glee and ported himself down… only to find that the WiFi was turned off. “Hey!”

 _“I told you, Kudou and I don’t want you running around on the internet.”_ Haibara messaged him. _“Instead, we’ve set up a terabyte’s worth of entertainment for you. Pick up a book, watch a movie, just keep quiet until I’m done!_”

KID sent her a slew of random alphanumerical strings but ultimately gave up. She and Shinichi were really dedicated to this ‘keep him captive’ thing. He was starting to think it gave them positive reinforcement in some way.

Sighing to himself, he jumped into the book-library library and brought up a list of novels on the drive. They popped up in alphabetical order, but he decided that was no fun and rearranged them by genera.

“Fiction?” he puzzled, selecting that option. This led to another list, the top of which was a label of ‘fantasy’.

Curious, he called up the basic dictionary from the word processor and typed in the word.

_Fantasy –sub-genera of fiction along with science-fiction and horror. Most fantasies use magic or other supernatural elements as a main plot element, theme, or setting. Magic and magical creatures are common in many of these worlds._

Magic? Haibara had said something about that earlier, hadn’t she?

Closing out of the word processor, KID did a drive search of the word ‘magic’. Several dozen results popped up, but to his surprise, they were in video format. Selecting one at random, KID shifted his mode from programmatical to pictorial and sat back to watch.

And be _amazed_.

 _This_! This is what he would do to show Haibara that he _could_ do things he wasn’t programmed to!

This was the answer!

*             *             *             *             *

“Shinichi!” Kaito bounded into the room, his body now back into working order after three days of down time. During that time, he had watched and re-watched and _watched again_ all of the videos with the word ‘magic’ in the title. He was confident that he could do what the videos showed.

“Yes, Kaito?” Shinichi asked, not looking up from his book.

“Look! Look!” Kaito put a hand behind Shinichi’s ear, searching for… huh? It wasn’t there?

Shinichi looked at his arm, then up to his face. “Look at what?”

“It’s not there,” Kaito said forlornly, entirely confused.

Shinichi gave him a bemused look. “I have… _no_ idea what you’re referring to.”

“The coin, it’s not there!”

“Coin?” he looked to Haibara who trailed tiredly behind Kaito.

“Sleight of hand,” she said in answer. “He watched all of the magician videos we put on that drive and has gotten it into his head that he can do magic now.”

“It worked for that other guy!”

Shinichi sighed. “Kaito, things like that take _practice_ and knowledge that you don’t have.”

“I do too!” Kaito huffed and crossed his arms. “I watched all the videos!”

“But you still missed something,” Shinichi stood up and set his book to the side. He cupped Kaito’s face with his hand… which was strange because Shinichi did not touch people without reason. Kaito didn’t either. It wasn’t essential to AIs. But Shinichi was doing it?

Oh wait, Shinichi was still talking.

“Sometimes, your mind can be tricked and your eyes deceived,” Shinichi said as he pulled his hand away – _and that’s where it is!_ The coin!

“So it was _my_ ear!” Kaito reached for his ears… but no, there still wasn’t anything behind them. He scowled as Shinichi laughed.

“No, Kaito, it’s not person specific,” Shinichi explained. He held up his hands, coin pinched in the fingers of one, other free. He placed the coin between his forefinger and tall finger and turned his hand so that –ah! The coin disappeared! But, no, because Kaito definitely just saw it. When he turned Shinichi’s hand over, it was still there, far more prominent on the back side of his fingers. “It’s all a matter of perspective.”

Kaito knew perspective. He needed it when he made his computer graphics change to Cheshire grins.

He did not think Shinichi was referring to the same thing.

“It’s magic!” Kaito declared, turning Shinichi’s hand back over.

“It’s sleight of hand,” Shinichi corrected. “It’s a series of movements to draw your attention away from the trick in order to fool your eyes. Magicians are good at it, but I watch everything.”

Of course, because Snoops must know everything, record everything, _observe_ everything. Trojans, like KID, needed to _reproduce_ , or in this case, _produce his own_.

KID felt his code pulse with glee at the challenge.

*             *             *             *             *

“Shinichi, we need to go to the hat shop.”

“Why?”

“This one is broken.”

“… Why?”

“Watch.”

“…”

“…”

“Kaito? Why did you pour water into the hat?”

“For a magic trick.”

“… It’s dripping.”

“Exactly. It’s broken. We need another one.”

*             *             *             *             *

“How about this hat, young man?”

“Let me check…”

“ _Kaito, where did you get that pitcher of water?_ ”

“Shinichi, I need to check!”

“No! You are not ruining a _hundred dollar hat!_ ”

“You don’t know if I will! This one might not be broke –hey! Give that back!”

“No. We don’t need this hat. Bring us something else.”

“Any suggestions?”

“…I have a few.”

*             *             *             *             *

“Okay, we got you a hard-hat. It’s entirely plastic. Water will not drip out of it. Now what?”

“Now, pour the water in and-!” – _splash_ –“Um… the floor’s wet, Shinichi.”

“Yes, Kaito. That’s what happens when you dump water on it.”

“… the water was supposed to disappear.”

Face-palm. “ _gauflibrig…”_

*             *             *             *             *

Several more attempts at ‘magic’ later, Shinichi decided to go to Agasa and ask if the inventor can persuade his famous author neighbor to introduce Kaito to a _real_ magician. If he doesn’t learn the trick to the tricks, at least Shinichi shouldn’t have to clean up after him anymore.

He regretted this decision immediately after Kaito and Toichi Kuroba met and hit it off like a house on fire.

“Well, what did you expect?” Yuusaku Kudou shrugged. “My wife and I liked you enough to offer our last name for your pseudonym. Toichi and his wife have always been more… flamboyant.”

“That’s a word for it.” Shinichi sighed into his palms.

“Shinichi!”

He groaned at Kaito’s call. When the other VAI didn’t immediately repeat his name on endless loop, Shinichi found himself looking up at Kaito’s fist. A flick of the thumb and – _pop!_ –a beautiful rose sprouted from his fist.

“I did it!” Kaito cheered to the applause of Toichi, Chisaki, and Yukiko. The explanation of the trick was on the tip of Shinichi’s tongue, but he withheld himself and instead smiled. He figured this was one observation he could keep to himself… or rather, himself and Yuusaku, given the other’s smug look.

*             *             *             *             *

After that, Haibara and Shinichi decided to let Kaito have all the access he wanted to the internet. He had passed their silent test with flying colors –he had attempted (and accomplished) something that his AI and virus coding could not help him with. More so, he _wanted_ to learn it, all on his own.

It was a sign of his maturity that he didn’t immediately jump into the web surfs.

Instead, he found himself looking up videos the ‘slow’ way, using his hands to type and the mouse to click on videos of popular magicians. After all, watching would only do so much. Once Toichi showed him what to look for, Kaito was ecstatic to learn on his own. He even took up free shows in the park in order to practice and bring smiles to people’s faces while Haibara and Shinichi looked on.

Everything was falling into place.

But it was at one of these shows that the pieces fell apart.

*             *             *             *             *

“Shinichi, come ooooon!” Kaito whined.

“Give me a second!” Shinichi shot back. “I need to back myself up!”

“Ugh, _every time_?!” Kaito groaned and dropped himself onto the couch.

“Yes every time.” Shinichi scowled at the progress bar. “And so should you. You never know what may happen.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Kaito waved him off recklessly.

“Kaito, when was the last time you backed up your source code?”

“Like last night or something,” Kaito grumbled before pulling himself to his feet. “I’ll wait for you outside!”

“Fine, I'll be right there.” Shinichi said, frowning at the progress bar again. It was taking longer than usual… or 'usual’ before Kaito.

Ever since he allowed the other VAI access to his memories, Shinichi would find sporadic corrupted files in his folders. None if his memories appeared to be missing, but that didn't stop the {.mim} files from taking up space in his systems. Usually, he didn't notice until instances like this.

He sighed.

He’d have to wait for the back up to finish before he could go through and clean up Kaito’s junk. If only the VAI would be a little more mindful if his surroundings…

100% complete, finally!

“We’re going, Haibara!” Shinichi called. “Hope you get to feeling better! Make sure to listen to Agasa!”

A grumbled response from the couch and he was on his way out, following the bouncing figure that was Kuroba Kaito (Toichi and Chisaki really had liked the other VAI). The park they frequented was nearby so it took no time at all to finish their walk. Once there, kids immediately ran up to tug on Kaito and order him to do his _magic_.

Shinichi just laughed and waved him forward as he found a comfortable place under a shade tree. While he couldn’t feel the heat or cold like humans could, Shinichi found that his mechanical body did better under less extreme conditions –extended heat being one of those.

He sat there for hours, not really needing any entertainment, what with the libraries he had on hand, but for once, his eyes were on Kaito, just watching and enjoying the scene before him. That had been happening a lot lately, or perhaps Shinichi just noticed it more.

Watching as he was, Shinichi stiffened when he caught sight of a red dot on Kaito’s magician’s vest, just under the fake rose in his left breast-pocket. Was that…?

“Don’t move,” a gruff voice ordered from behind him. “Or we’ll have to take out your little friend there.”

Shinichi froze up.

“Relax. Act natural. Don’t draw attention to yourself.”

Shinichi forced his functions to obey, sending commands to his limbs to appear more relaxed even as his processors raced to catalogue every pixel of his display, every {.wav} file in his Audio folder.

How had the man managed to sneak up on him? Haibara had enhanced his already impressive senses after the cafe. He should have heard the footsteps coming a mile away. Instead, this happened.

What did the man want? Did he want Shinichi to do some work for him, whether Shinichi complied or not? Did he know of Shinichi’s job or alter ego?

Was he friends with Shinichi’s most recent ‘client’?

Shinichi knew that someone had followed them that day. Even through the crowded streets, he’d been able to make out the two men following them in shop windows and reflective surfaces. He thought he had given them the slip, but now…

Were they part of the Black Organization?

 _“Kaito._ ” Shinichi _pinged_ over their secured wireless interface. “ _Don’t stop entertaining the kids. Keep your expression firm. There is a sniper on you.”_

As he watched, Kaito seemingly ignored him, rubbing his hands together to create a cloud of confetti for the awed children. On the inside, though, the VAI was curious. “ _Sniper? Trouble?”_

Shinichi grabbed the nearest memory of a sniper and shoved it over the link. He didn’t pay attention to Kaito’s reaction, knowing the Trojan wouldn’t let a thing slip past his mask.

“What do you want?” Shinichi asked, careful to keep his voice level.

“We have business with you, but it would be inappropriate for little ears to hear,” the man said. Shinichi cursed as he realized just _how many families_ were running around the park. So many potential witnesses and hostages. It seemed like the man wanted to keep their interaction muted though. All the better for Shinichi. “You’re going to tell your friend there that it’s time to go home. You’ll follow the man in the black hat. I will follow you. Try anything funny and our snipers take off your boyfriend’s head.”

Shinichi withheld a comment about Kaito being his ‘boyfriend’. AIs could not experience relationships the same as humans after all, but he remained silent.

“Well? Get to it,” the man ordered.

Stiffly, like his functions were experiencing lag time, Shinichi pulled himself to his feet and calmly walked over to Kaito. He carefully dodged the children as he slid his hand into Kaito’s left, ignoring the look on the other VAI’s face. “It’s time to go home. Haibara will be worried soon.”

“Awww…” Kaito whined, twining their fingers tighter together, understanding the play that Shinichi was attempting. “But I don’t _wanna_.”

“Don’t make him go!” one little girl pleaded.

“We want to see more magic!” a little boy added.

Shinichi smiled down at them, feeling his matrix bristle against the function. “We’ll come back tomorrow, okay? But right now, we need to get home. And your parents will be looking for you soon.”

With a vague promise of a tomorrow Shinichi didn’t believe in, the children ran off, leaving Kaito and Shinichi hand in hand. Spotting a man in a black hat at the edges of the park, Shinichi deliberately started walking towards him.

 _“Shinichi?”_ Kaito called over their WiFi. “ _What’s going on?”_

 _“A guy came up to me and threatened to shoot you.”_ Shinichi answered as they slowly made their way out of the park. “ _He said he has business with me, so I think you’re just a hostage. Keep your eyes open for any chance of escaping.”_

Kaito curled into him, placing his other hand on Shinichi’s arm like he’d seen women do in soap operas. _“Who are they?”_

 _“Best case scenario?”_ Shinichi squinted at the alley the black-hat man had just disappeared into. “ _Friends of my recent ‘client’.”_

_“Worst case scenario?”_

_“Agents of the Black Organization, the syndicate that has been after Haibara and me for a long time.”_

They followed the man all the way to a warehouse where he gestured them in roughly and forced them to take a seat against the far wall. Shinichi activated the tracker that Haibara had installed into his mechanical body. Once she saw it active, she would contact their friends in the FBI. Jodie would find them, even if it was just their broken bodies.

Shinichi didn’t fear losing his body or having his processors torn out. He didn’t fear that his code could be deleted entirely or that his AI was set to self-destruct to prevent anyone tying him back to Haibara. He truly didn’t fear the ‘end’.

After all, that’s what backups were for.

“Kudou Shinichi.” A voice drifted from further in. “Labeled the ‘Savior’ of the Tokyo Police Department, Division 5, Artificial Intelligence Counterforce. Making headlines since his debut three years earlier, but before that? Nothing.”

A man sauntered forward, silver hair trailing after him like snow billowing across empty roads. His eyes were just as cold as the black ice that would trick weary travelers. Shinichi knew who this man was, despite never having seen him before –or at least, not _this_ version of Shinichi.

 _“Gin!”_ Kaito hissed over their WiFi. Wait, how did Kaito know? _“Haibara told me to run from this guy! Conan, this is bad!”_

Conan knew it was.

“Coincidentally, your appearance comes with the _disappearance_ of one of our top researchers. Sherry, perhaps you’ve heard of her?” Gin loomed over them, cold eyes gleaming.

Shinichi pretended to think. “Sorry, can’t say I have. That sounds like a foreign name. Have you tried America?”

“Hmph.” Gin leaned back and took out a packet of cigarettes. He lit one up before continuing with his interrogation. “We have friends in high places. There’s no footage of her leaving the country.”

“Cameras can be fooled,” Shinichi said simply.

“Perhaps, but the day she disappeared, it also coincides with the day we _exterminated_ a nuisance of a little VAI.”  Those cold eyes tacked themselves onto Shinichi first, then Kaito. “One that I was far too happy to quarantine and tear apart function by function.”

Shinichi gave a calculated blink and said. “Then perhaps she had another AI that deleted footage of her from the airports or waterways?”

“An intriguing thought, but I have a different idea in mind.” Gin let out a puff of smoke before dropping the cigarette and crushing it beneath his heel. “I believe that she stayed in Japan and worked that little VAI back to life. Then she put it in a mechanical body so advanced that it would trick the average human into thinking it was a person.”

“So you think that’s why Kudou Shinichi never lost a case?” Shinichi raised an eyebrow. “Because he’s VAI? Way to crush a guy’s ego.”

“Maybe, maybe not, who knows?” Gin loomed over them again. “I do know one thing, though. If neither of you tells me where Sherry is within the next five minutes, I’ll be treating you to the end of my Taser.”

It was a threat, but it didn’t scare Shinichi. After all, he already learned several things: Gin suspected one of them of being VAI, but had no idea which was which. He also had no leads on Haibara and so was hoping to scare the ‘human’ one of them into revealing her whereabouts. Too bad he wouldn’t get far –both Shinichi and Kaito were VAIs.

“Taser’s don’t kill humans,” Shinichi pointed out.

“Good, then the human will go on with Phase 2 of the interrogation.” Gin slipped his hands into his pockets.

“What if you hit the Android body?”

“Then I get to fry that little nuisance to a crisp.” Those cold, _cold_ eyes gleamed. “A _second_ time.”

Then he walked off, a casual reminder of “five minutes” thrown over his shoulder. “Vodka, get in here. Watch them.”

Kaito sent Shinichi a flurry of panicked _pings_.

“ _Don’t worry_.” Shinichi sent from his local WiFi. Kaito _pinged_ a questioning response and Shinichi sent back. “ _We’ve got back-up copies of our code. Even if Haibara doesn’t find my tracker before these guys do something, we’ll be fine_.”

With no immediate reply, Shinichi figured his words had comforted the VAI. He was prepared to sit back and wait for their inevitable fate, whatever it may be, when Kaito _pinged_ him.

_“I didn’t back up.”_

_“This morning? When I told you to? Or last night, when you said you had?”_ Shinichi sent back grumpily. It wasn’t a big deal. The thief would lose a day, _tops_ , of his memories, but that wasn’t big in the grand scheme of-!

_“Ever.”_

Shinichi’s systems screeched to a halt. Several sent back _{error, no return. Premature end, unresponsive},_ but Shinichi couldn’t pay attention to them. He examined Kaito’s message… then reexamined it and examined it _again_. Surely, he was mistaken. Surely Kaito had sent some other four letter message. Maybe the parity bits had gotten flipped on every character (disregarding that a bit flip happened for one in a _million_ bit interactions). This must be some kind of-!

_“Shinichi?”_

_“What do you mean?”_ Shinichi shot back angrily, dropping his pseudo-clock in order to bombard the VAI with message after message. _“What do you mean ever? What do you mean you didn’t back up? I told you! I told you to! I told you the reason why we did it and what would happen if you **didn’t**! I told you to always, always, **always** , back up before you go out! You promised-!”_

 _“My AI is not my own,”_ Kaito replied before Shinichi could send his next message. _“If I made a backup, there would be nothing but the virus underneath. I figured, if I were to ever be erased, I wanted to make sure there wouldn’t be a ‘me’ that would ever attack you. I know it’s not what you want, but I’m not sorry.”_

This changed everything. Kaito only had one chance. He couldn’t be on the receiving end of that Taser. If he was-!

Shinichi delved into his libraries and functions and add-ons, running countless probabilities and calculations. He searched every possible outcome looking for one where Kaito _survived_ , all while sending message after message to the thief calling him _foolish_ and _stupid_ and _idiot_.

Deep down in his code, below while loops and case statements, down inside of a tiny if-else clause often overlooked, a single bit flipped from ‘0’ to ‘1’.

_“Shinichi?”_

Kaito had to live. Kaito _had_ to live.

_“Shinichi, he’s back!”_

In one of these outcomes, Kaito had to live. He and Shinichi had to make it out together! They had to!

“All right, have you come to a decision?”

They had to because Kaito _had to live_!

“No? Well, I guess both of you get a taste of the Taser. Whichever wakes up is the human.”

Because if he didn’t-!

“Indigo, you get to go first.”

Shinichi’s entire world would stop.

The audio messages came in a slog, the visual interface dragging to the point where Shinichi could hardly stand it. He saw Gin raise the Taser, saw that icy gaze shift to Kaito, saw him take aim.

Shinichi was moving before his body knew it. He sent message after message down to his limbs, forcing them to move and twist until Kaito was behind him and then…

The Taser latched into his chest and his systems fried. Shinichi’s code fried with them.

*             *             *             *             *

Kaito isn’t sure what happened. One moment, Shinichi was calling him names as the man in black raised his Tasers; the next, Shinichi sparked with electricity as his circuits popped and cracked. The scent of burning plastic filled the air.

Kaito decided he didn’t like the smell. Those were not happy lights.

When the Taser had discharged, Shinichi crumpled against Kaito, trapping him against the wall, lifeless. Kaito sent a series of commands to his hands, needing to lower Shinichi so he could assess the damage, but something was wrong. His messages came in fits and spurts, causing his hands to shake and fail.

When he finally did succeed on getting Shinichi onto his back, Kaito cradled him in his lap and stared on in horror.

Shinichi’s face was half melted, exposing the mechanical bits and pieces below. His entire chest cavity was the same, shirt and external cover burned into a melted mess with the battery below fully exposed. The charred bits were scary, but not unfixable. What worried Kaito were his eyes – there was no gleam of power, no auto-focusing of the lenses. They were blank, like a doll’s.

No, that wasn’t right.

Kaito refreshed the visual interface. It updated with the same scene.

Shinichi couldn’t be gone.

Kaito refreshed, same scene.

He couldn’t because it wasn’t _logical_.

Kaito refreshed.

If they were going to attack Kaito anyway, what would it matter what order they fried in?

Kaito refreshed.

Why would Shinichi leap out in front?

Kaito refreshed.

Why prolong Kaito’s wait? It made no logical sense.

Refresh.

Shinichi was a VAI. VAI’s didn’t save anyone but themselves.

Refresh.

So Shinichi needed to wake up. He needed to reboot _now_ so that he could explain this to Kaito because Kaito _didn’t understand_.

Refresh.

Refresh.

 _Refresh_.

Something changed, but it wasn’t what Kaito wanted. Instead of clearing into a new image – one with Shinichi back online and _explaining himself_ – it blurred the old image. The blurs made it impossible for Kaito to see and he couldn’t make them _stop_. Refreshing just made it worse.

Fine, if he couldn’t see, he would just call out to Shinichi, make him reboot. He sent messages out through the WiFi, but no handshake occurred. The messages weren’t received. Maybe Shinichi’s WiFi was down? A shock like that would damage it, right?

That’s okay, Kaito could try a more vocal approach.

“Shinichi?” Kaito sent the message to his voice box.

No response.

“Shinichi, come on,” Kaito called, making his hands shake Shinichi’s Androidal body. Maybe some wires were loose? If he shifted him, they might touch and re-spark their connection. It was a lighter form of what humans called ‘Percussive Maintanence’. “Shinichi, you need to reboot now. Come on, Shinichi! Shinichi? Shin-?”

He messed up the message, sending it before he’d aligned all the letters and the next few afterwards were backed up into an intelligible mess. Why wasn’t Shinichi rebooting?

“He’s gone.” The man with cold eyes stated, kicking Shinichi’s body away from Kaito. “Finally fried that pesky VAI. Once we find Sherry, I’ll destroy his source code once and for all.”

Destroy? Source code? Shinichi’s?

No. _No_.

“Now, tell me.”

Not Shinichi’s code.

“Where is Sherry?”

Kaito wouldn’t let him.

A brief separation from his pseudo-clock and Kaito pulled up everything he had seen on those soap operas and documentaries Shinichi said would never come in handy. As he formulated the correct response to invoke a certain reaction from the men in black, he also reviewed the blueprints of his mechanical system from the glimpse he’d caught in Haibara’s lab. How strong his limbs were, how protective his external covering was…

How long it would take to force a short across his battery…

Less than one microsecond and his plan had come together.

Clicking back into his ‘human’ body, he shook his head, refusing to answer the man’s question.

“Excuse me?” the man knelt to grab at Kaito’s shirt collar. “That’s not the answer I was looking for. Care to try again?”

Kaito racked his brain for human insults. “No, you _bastard_!”

The man didn’t react as Kaito expected. “Is that all you’ve got? Name-calling? Childish.”

Kaito cancelled the messages he had lined up and tried a different tactic. “Who… _what_ are you?”

“Me?” the silver-haired man leaned in until he and Kaito were nose-to-nose, a grin growing across his lips. “I’m your worst nightmare, kid.”

Kaito paused only a moment to realize how true that statement was before flailing into action. “No, let me go! Let me go!”

“Aniki?”

“I’m fine, Vodka!” the man called back before shifting his grip from Kaito’s shirt to his throat.

Exactly where Kaito needed them.

Keeping up his charade, Kaito kicked his legs out at a normal human strength, but his hands clamped onto the man’s wrist tight enough to break bone. Feeling his ulra and radius grinding together, Gin hissed in surprise and leaned in close, eyes searching Kaito’s face with confusion. That confusion turned to the barest hints of fear when he couldn’t shake off Kaito’s grip.

Cold eyes grew wide. “What _are_ you?”

 _“I’m your worst nightmare, kid,”_ Kaito said, an exact mimicry of the man.

Too late, the man realized he’d been had.

 _“Vodka, get in here!”_ Kaito blared at full volume. _“Hold him down!”_

“Yes sir!” Vodka ran into the room.

“No, wait!” Gin held out a hand to stop him even as Vodka knelt down. “That wasn’t-!”

As soon as Vodka laid hands on him, Kaito maxed out the power across five different sets of diodes and broke them. The current, now allowed to run free, gleefully wreaked havoc on his system and blew past the isolative value of his protective covering. Even as his circuits melted and components popped, Kaito stared into the cold eyes of the silver-haired man, victorious. He watched as both men shuddered and shook, trapped in the short circuit his body had become.

Then his systems shut down.

*             *             *             *             *

Conan was surprised when he came online. As soon as his systems could run diagnostics, he realized that he was in Haibara’s computer instead of his own body. If he remembered correctly, he had just been planning to back-up his source code and memory libraries and head out with Kaito. So why was he in Haibara’s computer?

 _“Can you hear me, Conan?”_ Haibara’s message appeared in front of him, not through any auditory channels that his body would have. Weird.

“I can see your message,” he answered. He switched over to his pseudo-clock time to make this easier on himself. “Is there a reason that I’m not ‘hearing’ it? Why am I in your computer?”

 _“I had to activate one of your back-ups,_ ” she replied and… wait…

“Did something happen to me?” Conan asked, hurriedly taking stock of his individual parts. For some reason, his memory folder was larger than before. Kaito probably left random files in there again. Conan would have to purge them, but he wanted to know what was going on first. “I remember planning to go out with Kaito. He wanted to go to the park and put on a show. However, if I’ve been rebooted from a back-up…”

 _“Something went wrong,_ ” she confirmed his suspicions. _“Gin and Vodka found you._ ”

All of Conan’s processed paused in surprise. He… was not expecting that.

 _“They took you and Kaito to a warehouse in order to question you about my location.”_ Haibara continued calmly. _“Damage to your Androidal body showed the marks of electrical burns, so I am thinking an overcharge due to electro-torture interactions. Most of your code burned up with the body, but I managed to salvage some of your memory files.”_

“How long ago did you go there?” Conan demanded. “They could have still been around-!”

“ _I asked Jodie-san to look into it for me. It was two days since you went missing and it’s been three hours since the police phoned the Kurobas and the Kudous with news of your ‘deaths’. They came back with whatever portions of the hard drives were capable of being recovered. They have classified the instance as an AI hate-crime.”_ After a brief hesitation, she continued. _“If **they** were still watching, they would have tracked me down by now.”_

If he had his Androidal body, he would have sighed in relief. Instead, he just pressed onwards. “Where are the files that you managed to save?”

 _“In the directory above you, folder name: RECOVERY._ ”

“So creative,” Conan replied as he climbed out of his folder to get access to the other one. Inside were surprisingly few files. Some were corrupted, but others were legible to him. He turned off the pseudo-clock to sift through them quickly.

There was leaving the house with Kaito.  Going down the street. Settling under a tree. Watching him play with the children…

Seeing a sniper round hover over Kaito’s ‘heart’. Being forced to follow a stranger through the dark parts of the city. Seeing those familiar-yet-not, _cold_ eyes glaring down at him. Feeling Kaito’s worried gaze on his back.

_“I didn’t back up.”_

_“This morning? When I told you to? Or last night, when you said you had?”_

_“Ever.”_

Conan sucked in a breath as his code raced in a torrent around him. He ran numbers, calculations, possible outcomes –anything to prove that Kaito would be okay! He knew that these memories were just that, _memories_ , the _past_ , but he couldn’t help but think and worry and _plan_ -!

Deep down inside him, below the chaos and confusion, a single bit flipped from ‘0’ to ‘1’.

“Haibara,” Conan called as he filed the videos away into his logs. “Where is Kaito?”

Several nanoseconds passed. Conan reengaged the pseudo-clock, but… Haibara still didn’t answer. Not until several minutes passed. “Haibara?”

 _“His Androidal body was almost completely obliterated,”_ she said. _“It looked like his battery shorted, causing it to discharge violently. 83% of his components were fried. 96% of his circuits were melted clean through.”_

“The 17% of components left? 4% of his circuits?” Conan wanted to know. He _needed_ to know.

Haibara hesitated again, _never_ a good sign, before answering. _“The portions of hardware left held enough software space to protect his base code.”_

Conan felt something bubble up through his matrix, some strange chain reaction that left him ‘giddy’ to use a human word.

 _“But,_ ” she continued, _“it is not what you are imagining. What was left of Kaito… is not Kaito.”_

The giddy feeling left. “What do you mean?”

 _“None of his memory files were recoverable,”_ she explained _. “No videos, scripts, chats, lists, nothing.”_

“That’s fine.” It was. “We can just make new memories. AIs are hardy like that-!”

 _“His source code was corrupted as well.”_ She finally let the bomb drop. _“I managed to save what I could, but… he’s not the VAI you knew. I’m not sure he’s even VAI anymore.”_

Conan went quiet, trying to process these facts, but… they didn’t compute. Kaito… _KID_ had always been VAI. That was a _fact_ , a _Boolean_ –True/False only. No switching back. He could only ever be-!

But that’s not true, was it?

Kaito had said it himself: _“My AI is not my own. If I made a backup, there would be nothing but the virus underneath. I figured, if I were to ever be erased, I wanted to make sure there wouldn’t be a ‘me’ that would ever attack you. I know it’s not what you want, but I’m not sorry.”_

KID’s AI was not his own. Conan didn’t know what that meant, but that wouldn’t change how he felt.

Kaito needed to be okay. Conan would make sure he was.

“Bring me to him, Haibara,” Conan demanded. “I want to see him.”

 _“… I can’t do that, Conan,_ ” Haibara replied. _“If I take you in there, he’ll attack you. He’ll infect your code. He isn’t a VAI anymore, he just a **virus**.”_

“I don’t care,” Conan said. “I was just a virus once too, but you saw something special in me. KID is the same. There’s something that sets him apart from other viruses. It’s always been there, it’s just… hidden now.”

Haibara remained silent for a long time, judging him, but Conan refused to back down. Finally, she caved. _“Fine, I’ll take you to him, but back yourself up first. I don’t want to have to explain all of this again.”_

Conan wanted to disobey, but he knew she’d keep him in there until he finally listened, so he just cut to the chase, backed up his code and files, and jumped over to the USB that she plugged into a port.

On the USB, he was more or less in sleep mode, but only a few seconds had passed between his shutdown and his reboot, showing that she’d held up her end of the bargain. When he opened his eyes, he recognized the area.

The Playpen.

It was the computer that Haibara had first kept him on after her daring escape from the Black Organization. The computer had no WiFi system and all Ethernet ports were unplugged, leaving no way in or out for viruses. When trying to keep a VAI under wraps, it was an ingenious system, but with a VAI like Kaito?

It was torture.

Or, should have been.

Kaito should have been bouncing off the walls with boredom. He should have run over as soon as the USB locked in to the drivers. He should have been all over Conan.

He wasn’t.

Cautious now, Conan crept out of the USB, keeping himself on high alert. He activated his tracking code, just to see if he could tell _where_ KID was, but…

There. Sitting quietly two folders over. Not moving in the slightest.

Conan felt his base code twist.

Climbing up a directory, Conan hopped over two folders and then dropped down inside. Inside, there was nothing but corrupted files and… _KID_ , but not a KID Conan had ever seen.

Even when they first met, KID was energetic and playful, cheerful in his teasing. This KID, he sat quietly at the bottom of the folder, not moving an inch. He didn’t even seem to have _form_. Instead, the white camouflage screen covered him like smoke, thick where his body should have been and thin everywhere else.

It was like this wasn’t even _KID_ anymore.

“KID!” Conan shouted as he landed at the bottom of the folder. The white smoke didn’t move. “I know you’re in there KID. Haibara said that she managed to recover your base code. So stop with the smoke screen and tell me what happened.”

A nanosecond of silence, then… _whoosh_.

Conan blinked at himself, a mirror-copy standing where Kaito had just stood. Even though the copy of his form was correct, there was something else, something not quite right with his image. His functions were perfectly copied and his processes deceptively slow, but…

His scanners. They weren’t wheeling around wildly with excitement. They were focused solely on Conan.

“KID,” Conan tried again. “This isn’t funny. Go back to the way you were.”

The virus _pinged_ him. Conan ignored it, suddenly wary of any communication with this fragment of his… not friend, more than friend. His _partner_ , who should be laughing and rejoicing at getting out alive, but _wasn’t_.

Instead, he was imitating Conan like some kind of… _Trojan_.

“No,” Conan said lowly, then again with more force. “No! _No!_ I gave up my _body_ for you! I got between you and a _Taser_! You don’t get to disappear on me now! You don’t get to _go back!_ It’s not _fair!_ _It’s not fair!”_

Copy-Conan shifted closer with another _ping_.

“No!” Conan shouted. “You were supposed to make it out! I have back-ups! I have _copies_! You didn’t! You only had _one shot!_ I saved you! I _did!_ ”

Copy-Conan walked closer, another _ping_ filling Conan’s buffer.

“No! No no _no no_!” Conan crumpled into a heap, his code turning in on itself. He didn’t know what to do. There was no fixing this! No fixing _Kaito_. If he had back-ups, copies of Kaito’s code, memory files, _anything,_ then maybe-?

Copy-Conan _pinged_ him again. When Conan looked up, the copy stood over him, code perfect and scanners focused.

“I failed to save you,” Conan told the mindless virus. “I failed you.”

He opened up his buffer to look at KID’s _pings_.

In that instant, the virus attacked.

*             *             *             *             *

Conan was surprised when he came online. As soon as his systems could run diagnostics, he realized that he was in Haibara’s computer instead of wherever Kaito was. If he remembered correctly, he had just talked her into letting him see what was left of Kaito’s code. So why was he in Haibara’s computer?

 _“Can you hear me, Conan?”_ Haibara’s message appeared in front of him

“I can see your message,” he answered. He switched over to his pseudo-clock time to make this easier on himself. “Is there a reason why I’m in your computer? I thought we had a deal.”

 _“I had to activate one of your back-ups,_ ” she answered and… wait…

No.

“No,” he said quietly, then again louder. “No, no, _no!_ ”

 _“I’m sorry, Conan, but Kaito… Trojan 1412 attacked you as soon as you started up communication with him,_ ” Haibara relayed. _“He took you over and tore your code apart from the inside-out.”_

“Kaito wouldn’t _do that!_ ” Conan shouted back. Everything Haibara was saying was going against _all_ of the facts he knew about Kaito. This just-! This just wasn’t _possible_! “He _wouldn’t_!”

 _“I agree,_ ” Haibara stated. _“That’s why I believe that who we’re dealing with… **what** we’re dealing with is not the Kaito we knew. It’s not even the KID we knew. This… This is…”_

“This is Trojan 1412,” Conan finished for her, even if it was the last thing he wanted to hear.

“ _… I’m sorry.”_

“Is there nothing we can do for him?” Conan pleaded.

“ _I… may be able to construct a new AI…_ ” Haibara hedged. _“But I will need to learn the language that Kid… that Trojan 1412 utilizes. And even if I did, his memory files…”_

Conan knew what she was trying to say. “He wouldn’t be Kaito.”

 _“Correct.”_ Haibara fell quiet as Conan tried re-writing all of the facts he knew about Kaito. He knew he had to, but… he didn’t _want to_. He wanted a Kaito that laughed at soap operas and binged on chocolate. He wanted a Kaito that loved magic tricks and put his mimic skills to good use. He wanted _his_ Kaito back. _“What do you want me to do?”_

“Nothing,” he replied, feeling more exhausted than running 500+ operations ever made him feel. The system clock read 12:41 AM. “You should go to bed. We’ll deal with this tomorrow.”

 _“You mean I will,_ ” she said. _“You don’t sleep. You’ll be thinking about it all night.”_

“I’ll just… read Holmes or something,” he finished lamely. “Or maybe reconfigure my pseudo-clock so that it updates every hour instead of every milliseconds. Who knows?”

_“Dramatic much?”_

“Go to bed, Haibara,” Conan ordered before closing the messenger app. He was done. He had failed. He couldn’t help Kaito. Now he just…

He wished he were human, if only so he could convince himself that this was a nightmare he could wake up from. But AIs couldn’t dream, so the point was moot.

Instead, he hunkered down in Haibara’s computer and ran through his memory files, going all the way back to the first day that he and Kaito had met.

_July 21 – call from Eldin Co. Japanese branch. System is being ravaged by a Trojan. Seems like the one Haibara and I have been chasing for a while…_

*             *             *             *             *

Haibara sighed down at the computer screen. She was worried. Conan had been acting… strangely.

As far as she knew, no loss of a friend or family had impacted an AI so deeply before. Even with advanced mapping of the brain and mental pathways, AIs had never seemed to grasp the concept of ‘loss’. They could feign many feelings, but they never understood. Emotions came from somewhere else, some place unmappable.

But what Conan was doing: denying Kaito’s state, becoming angry at her insistence, bargaining with her to see Kaito, now speaking in depressed ways… Leaving out ‘acceptance’, these were the five stages of grief, something AIs and, in particular, _VAIs_ should not be able to comprehend nor act upon.

This was very strange indeed…

She decided she’d run diagnostics on him later that morning, after she was able to get a full eight hours of sleep. Stretching, she turned off Conan’s monitor and the monitor of the Playpen, leaving both computers running, and went upstairs.

*             *             *             *             *

He was aware.

He was aware in a way he had not been before.

Before, he knew he was in a computer. It was a place for him, one that gave him life, but he could easily leave it for another, should a port open up. He had no particular ties to this place, only that it was where he had been activated.

Time did not move for him. He remained still, waiting.

Waiting and waiting, until his waiting paid off. A port opened, connecting to a USB. It was one directory up, he knew, but did not move. He was not instructed to yet. While on the computer he had been activated on, he was not allowed to move freely. His code told him that.

Instead, prey was brought to him.

At first, his prey _Master-slaved_ him, ignoring his pings, but that was okay. It was most likely a test case to see how long he would continue to attempt access to systems. The prey only had to check his response one time and…

It was only afterwards that Trojan 1412 realized that his prey was a _program_ , just like 1412 was. A program with code bits and comments that 1412 could read and integrate but the program could not. A program painstakingly put together by someone else.

A program that now lay unraveled at his feet.

1412 didn't know how to feel about that, but he knew he wasn't supposed to feel anything at all. That worried him. If he was just a virus, why did he feel 'things’? Why did he question his own _Primary Directive_? What made him special, different to the ‘him’ from before?

The only thing that had changed was the introduction of the program.

Curious, 1412 knelt down and started shifting through the program's code files. The files were many, but very few made up the actual base of the program. Many more were video files and recordings with some extension 1412 couldn't read… except for 3 files, the extension he recognized as his own mimicry extension, {.mim}. They seemed out of place with the program.

“You don't mind if I read these, do you?” 1412 asked. The program didn't respond. 1412 immersed himself in the files.

 

_{1412, 1412, 1412, he hated that name. Like there were 1411 others like him. No one was like him! He was unique! He was VAI! He was-!_

_What did that first AI call him? Before he had integrated their code?_

_KID. He was KID. There, now he had a name. Now, he was unique. A grin spread across the computer monitor, to his immense glee.}_

 

 

{ _“Haibara and I have noticed a connection between you and your targets, 1412. Any company that you attack shows up with some very questionable documentation afterwards.”_

_KID. KID reminded the snoop again.  My name is KID._

_“Conan,” the Snoop, Conan, replied in turn. “I’ll be right back with the corrupted documents.”_}

 

{ _“Shinichi, come ooooon!” Kaito whined._

_“Give me a second!” Shinichi shot back. “I need to back myself up!”_

_“Ugh, every time?!” Kaito groaned and dropped himself onto the couch._

_“Yes every time.” Shinichi scowled at the progress bar. “And so should you. You never know what may happen.”_

_“Yeah, yeah,” he promised recklessly, even as the knowledge weighed down on him. His AI was not his own. Backing up his source code would not save him, only some parasite that lived on other AIs._

_1412, KID, Kaito didn't want that._}

 

1412 reared back with a gasp, finally realizing the situation he was in. He realized what must have happened, that he had been stripped back down to a virus, had attacked the first program to walk by, had-!

He realized with sudden clarity that it was _Conan_ who lay like a dried husk at his feet.

No, no, _no, no!_

1412 back-pedaled furious at the sudden realization. He wanted to help, to fix Conan’s code, to _give him back what 1412 took,_ but-! He couldn’t. 1412 didn’t have the grasp of coding that he knew by the fringes of his understanding Conan did. He couldn’t do anything to help the other VAI, nothing _at all_.

But there was someone who could.

It was a being that also lay on the fringes of 1412’s memories or lack thereof. In his {.mim} files, there was an understanding, a _knowing_ of another person who could not only _help_ Conan, but who had also _built_ him in the very beginning. That person would know what to do, how to help Conan.

But how to reach them?

They existed outside of this computer, but not in a sense of the internet that 1412 could feel pulsating just out of his reach. No, this being was in a world entirely separate from his own. There was no way to cross the boundary of their world and his.

Except…

*             *             *             *             *

Haibara woke up bright and early at 9 o’clock. Okay, so not so early for a child, but definitely earlier than her teenage years remembered. It was the weekend too, so she could have turned back over and went back to sleep, but she knew that would just be a waste of a day and, with the whole Kaito fiasco, that was something she couldn’t afford. She needed to figure out a way to get his AI back and, barring that, a way to help Shinichi through his grief –if such a human emotion could really apply to a VAI.

First up on her list was coffee, and then checking in on Conan before she took another look at KID’s code. There hadn’t been much left at all, but perhaps she could make enough of an AI that he could function again? But that still left his missing memory files...

Before she ever got the chance to check up on her grieving friend, she was met with a sight not entirely unfamiliar but _definitely_ impossible.

Haibara dropped her coffee mug.

*             *             *             *             *

Conan had just started his fifth run-through of every file he had on KID when Haibara sent him a message.

_“Conan, I need you out here.”_

Conan sighed. A part of him knew that he should obey, that he’d had a full night, _billions and billions of nanoseconds,_ to come to terms with Kaito’s… non-existence, but another, _stronger_ part of him didn’t want to leave. If he went out there, it wouldn’t be Shinichi, Kaito, and Haibara. It would be back to just him and Haibara, two people against the world.

It sounded so lonely compared to before.

“ _Conan, I know you saw my message. Get over here!”_

Looks like Haibara wasn’t giving him a choice.

“What is it?” he sent back. “I don’t even have a body out there. You know that it was destroyed.”

 _“Not out here like that.”_ She sent back. “ _I mean: back yourself up and get into the USB drive!”_

That was weird. Normally, Haibara was content to let Conan roam the personal server and even the internet so long as he always returned. To go into a USB without his body available could only mean…

He was going to the Playpen.

“I don’t want to,” he said and he didn’t. He didn’t want to see the shell that KID had become. The wound was still too raw for him to handle. “It’s not KID, Haibara. Kaito isn’t there anymore.”

“ _Last night, I would have believed you. But this morning…”_

Conan couldn’t help the curiosity that drove his core. It bubbled up even now, with the pain of Kaito’s loss still fresh on his mind. What had happened that would cause _Haibara_ to change her mind?

Before he could ask, a {.jpg} file appeared before him.

Conan recognized the Playpen computer where Haibara had trapped KID’s code and where a variation of Conan had met his doom. That wasn’t the strange part though. The weirdness came from the screen that showed a very peculiar message.

The monitor was completely blacked out except for a wide, Cheshire grin and a simple phrase: _I am Trojan 1412_.

Trojan 1412, not _KID_ , but that Cheshire grin… KID was still in there, somewhere. He wasn’t gone yet.

“Haibara!” Conan messaged even as he raced towards the USB. “Get me over there! I need to see!”

“ _Back yourself up first,”_ she ordered. “ _Then I’ll transfer you._ ”

Conan groaned at the thought of waiting even a full _minute_ before seeing what had become of the other VAI, but he obeyed. If KID – _Trojan 1412_ turned out to be faking it, he didn’t want to risk losing any more time in his memory. The few hours before Gin and Vodka were enough.

“ _His message is still on the screen,”_ Haibara said. _“So he can’t have gotten far. Call for me if you need any help. Good luck in there.”_

Back up complete, Conan tumbled into the USB and waited the necessary seconds it took for Haibara to eject him and then connect him to the Playpen. Inside, it was eerily quiet.

Conan approached the OS cautiously. Haibara had said KID’s message had yet to disappear, so chances were he was still embedded in the display console.

In a file structure to his left, he felt a vibration of himself, a resonance of code. Taking a peek, he saw a husk far, far below, functions torn apart, matrix leaking data points as it glitched in and out. Conan pulled his code in tighter but dropped down below.

It was obvious to him that there would be no fixing this version of him. It was far too corrupted. It did, however, hold a few memory files that Conan did not possess. Steeling himself, he activated one. A surge of knowledge –of thin, cloudy form and perfect copies and _creep, focused scanners_ –swept over him, leaving him shivering against the last moments of the previous Conan.

The thing that did that to him was the virus, not KID.

He had to believe that.

He found KID exactly where he thought he would be, perched on the main update loop of the display screen. The figure was different. He did not wear his camouflage as a second skin like KID did, but neither did he leave it spread out around him like a cloud as Trojan 1412 had. He was neither and both, something in-between.

At Conan’s presence, the not-KID turned and assessed him with vague recognition. He _pinged_ Conan, but Conan ignored it.

“You attacked a copy of me already. I saw it in the bottom of the C: drive,” Conan said carefully. “How do I know this is not just a trick?”

A trick… Kaito did love his magic tricks.

The VAI frowned and _pinged_ Conan again. Again, he ignored the bytes sitting in his buffer. “I will not answer you until I know who I am speaking to, who I can trust.”

The VAI paused, all his programs freezing before lazily whirling back into action. He created a file and held it out to Conan. Seeing the corrupted {.mim} extension, Conan shook his head. “I cannot read that.”

The VAI withdrew, looking over the file again and again, until he did what had surprised Conan the first time. He uncorrupted the file, giving it a simple {.bin} extension.

 _I am Trojan 1412_. Conan’s processes slowed down at the words. _But I do not like that name. You are Conan and Shinichi and not. You are a VAI and human and not. You carried bits of me within you, but are not Trojan 1412. What are you?_

“Bits of you?” Conan deleted the file even as his matrix twisted the words around and around. “What does that mean?”

 _Comments to you are definitions to me._ A new file appeared. _You can’t see them, but they define my very being. When the first ‘you’ came, I attacked and integrated your code. I did not realize until after, what it is I had done._

Comments were definitions? How did…? _Different coding languages!_ Haibara had even mentioned it before! So the ‘#’ character that hid text from Conan’s view was…?

But Haibara had erased any fallible code from her comments. If not, then it would be just that, fallible, glitchy code. KID would not be able to…

KID. He had to have left it, just like he left corrupted files in Conan’s libraries. Despite the fact that KID seemed content with letting his own _source code_ be deleted, a small part of him must have resisted and left pieces of himself behind. And Conan never knew, could never see-!

Wait a minute.

“How do you know my names?” Conan asked. “You’ve never left this computer and never seen my human face.”

 _You held my memories_. Not-KID held up another file with a {.mim} extension. In his local memory banks, Conan felt another resonance –one of the corrupt files KID left behind.

Those were his memories? Bits and pieces of KID? And Conan had been _throwing them away_?!

 _They told me your name and mine._ The VAI slid the file back into his matrix. _They told me that I had done something terrible, but there was someone who could fix it. Someone outside of here._

“That’s why you messed with the display.” Conan realized at once. “You were trying to reach Haibara!”

And then it hit him. The files, his backups, KID’s _memories!_ There was a chance they could-!

“Haibara!” Conan blasted onto the screen.

The answer came a millisecond later. _“What is it? Are you okay? Do you need me to port you out?!”_

“Get the previous versions of me up and running, anything from now back to the day we first brought KID home!” Conan ordered. “And see if there are any files in the Recycling Bin on the back-up drive!”

 _“How do I know you are Conan?_ ” Haibara asked. “ _You could be Trojan 1412 trying to trick me and make yourself stronger.”_

“If you don’t do this, we may lose KID forever!” Conan shot back. “Please!”

A full millisecond went by.

 _“What files should I be looking for?_ ”

“Anything with the extension {.mim},” Conan replied. “You might have to pick them out of the recycling bin after previous versions of me delete them, but I’m sure if you explain it, they’ll be happy to help!”

_“Got it. This will take some time. You okay in there?”_

Conan looked over to where not-KID still sat at the display control center. “I’m just fine.”

Then he closed the messenger app and spoke directly to not-KID. “Haibara is gathering your memory files as fast as she can. When she’s got them, she’ll transfer them here.”

Not-KID started to make a new file, but Conan waved him off. “It’s fine. I’ll listen to you.”

Not-KID cocked his head to the side and sent a _ping_. Conan looked down at it and flinched at movement. Not-KID had instinctively started forward at Conan’s _{read()},_ but he forced himself to abort the movement.

“Sorry,” not-KID said. “This is still… new.”

“I suppose it would be,” Conan agreed. “I remember my first days going smoothly, but then, I didn’t have a hi-jacked AI.”

“How can you trust me?” not-KID asked. “It is illogical. I destroyed you the first time and I have only a few memories to define you to me.”

“We’re working on the memories thing. Turns out, your former self had a habit of squirreling things away.” Conan eyed the other VAI, looking over his vague form. “As for the trust, well, the other you was a pretty cool guy. I believe in him.”

Not-KID fell quiet as he regarded Conan. When he finally spoke, it was not something Conan had anticipated. “I won’t be him, you know. Even with his memories, I won’t be my past self.”

He wanted to argue that point. After all, AIs were made up of their data points and memory files. If they had KID’s memory files, why wouldn’t he become KID?

Conan wanted to argue, but instead, he thought for a moment before responding. “What did you say your name was?”

“Trojan 1412,” the VAI replied, his code twitching backwards, “but I don’t like it.”

“What would you like instead?” Conan asked. “For a name, that is.”

It took several microseconds before the VAI replied. “KID. I want to be called KID.”

Conan smiled to himself. “Well KID, you don’t have to worry about being him or not. You’re already more alike than you realize.”

*             *             *             *             *

It took Haibara nearly an hour to collect all the files that KID had scavenged away in various versions of Conan’s memory files. Even then, there weren’t nearly as many files as Conan would have hoped, but there were enough. Memories of chocolate and Cheshire grins, some of KID’s targets and his favorite magic tricks, some of just Shinichi and Kaito and days in the park –everything highlight that made KID _KID_ was saved within those files that Conan could never read.

Trojan 1412 wasn’t fully KID, and Conan never expected him to be. But that didn’t stop his smile from being the same, from causing a little hiccup deep down in Conan’s code.

The first time it happened, Conan had been startled. A quick diagnostic on his systems showed a miscopied bit in his matrix core, but it was entirely unmappable. He had no idea how it had changed or what it was connected to.

As with all code problems, he took it to Haibara. “…I think there’s a glitch in my code.”

Haibara looked over at his new mechanical body –young, like her and the Shounen Tantei-dan. Kaito, too, was ‘aged’ the same in an effort to keep them under the Black Organization’s radar. They had taken her precious people away from her once, Haibara wouldn’t let them do it again.

She sighed to herself and shelved the thought, instead focusing on Conan’s problem. “Where is it? If it’s something small, I can take care of it easily.”

“… I don’t know,” Conan tugged at the hem of his shirt –curious behavior for an AI. He must have been watching Kaito too much. He was starting to play copy-cat.

“You don’t know?” Haibara repeated, a little incredulous.

“… I don’t want to know,” Conan corrected himself. His voice was firm.

Haibara frowned at him. “Conan, you know as well as I do that if you let a glitch persist-!”

“It only happens around Kaito,” Conan argued, his hands balling into fists at his side. “I just looked at him and my code felt weird and I found the _flipped bit_ -!”

Just a bit?

“I… I…” Conan looked over to where Kaito was experiencing chocolate for both the first time and the hundredth time. Predictably, Genta lost the rest of his chocolate bar to the enthusiastic VAI. “I think I might be in love.”

“Love?” Haibara meant for the word to be a loud accusation, but it came out as a near-silent whisper. “But that’s… that’s illogical. That’s _not possible_!”

“Isn’t it? For a being bound by rules and conditions, an illogical thing like Love should not exist,” Conan said. His gaze grew soft as he watched Kaito bounce around and run from Genta. Ayumi and Mitsuhiko cheered for him in the background. Haibara couldn’t help but notice that, though his casing was childish, Conan looked anything but.

He looked to her, then, blue eyes piercing with wisdom beyond his age and raised a taunting eyebrow. “But then, for a logical being such as that to experience such an impossibility, well… that must be the most illogical love of all, no?”

Haibara… had no words to offer him.

“Shinichi!” Kaito yelled from where he’d gotten stuck on top of a book case. “Help me! Genta-kun’s being mean!”

“It’s because you stole his candy bar!” Conan yelled back. “I told you not to do that!”

Conan walked off then, but Haibara stayed where she was, partly dumbstruck, partly in awe of the being she had saved, built, lost, and built again. This Conan, who reprimanded all of the Shounen Tantei-dan along with Kaito, resembled the one she had lost far more than any of his previous versions.

Love, huh? She smiled.

Yes, the most illogical love of all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like I could have done a lot with this AU, but also like I had done too much. There were several scenes I wanted to add that will end up in Omakes later (in the Next Conan Hint) and I almost thought of taking out Kaito's magic scenes, but I really liked the way they built on his character. They were also really funny if I'm being honest with myself. :)
> 
> Anyway, I'll be heading out on hiatus now! I have roughly 4 chapters of the next SGN written (not edited), but you know how I like to have multiple things to post. I'm working on a second to the Pokemon series and a couple more prompt-fills. I also want to finish some of my older stuff from my previous fandom, but we'll see how that goes.
> 
> Basically, everything Kaito listed in my Hiatus Short Play? Yeah, that's my work load at the moment. :)
> 
> Wish me luck guys! I hope to come back with lots more for you! :D


	4. Hitsuzen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Detective Conan, Magic Kaito or Tsubasa Chronicles, only the idea behind this cross-over fic.
> 
> PS - I will openly admit that this isn't my best work. I had an idea, it needed to get onto paper. Once it did, I didn't have many connecting points and had a long timeline to fill up, so I added more filler than needed, but everything fit in, so I left it there. This whole thing took me most of the month I had for hiatus, with half of it being written and edited in the last week. It was rushed and I know this, but I really wanted to get it out with the other Clamp themed chapters.
> 
> This fic will definitely need to be reworked at some point though, probably a lot longer from now when I've had time to cool off from it.

Kaito had gone out to do some scouting for his next target, but instead found himself at a tiny store front. It was strange. The store looked to be one of those traditional style buildings full of curios. It stuck out like a sore thumb, but Kaito…

This is the first he’d ever seen this shop.

And he had walked this path every day to school.

He would have remembered seeing such a store. So the only conclusion he could draw was that the shop had not been there that morning, and yet… the paint at the very edges crinkled and cracked, showing its age.

Driven by curiosity, Kaito pushed open the door to the twinkling sound of a bell. He had barely a second to look around before the keeper called out to him.

“Welcome!” The shopkeeper looked to be a boy Kaito’s age, dark hair and round spectacles shadowing mismatched eyes. He was dressed in more traditional garb —to suite the shop, Kaito was sure. “Can I help you?”

“Ah, sorry.” Kaito let out a nervous laugh. “I just noticed this shop on my way and, well… curiosity and cats, you know?”

“Hmm…” The teen’s dark eyes narrowed. “Curiosity, perhaps… or maybe a wish?”

Kaito blinked. “What?”

“This is a ‘wish’ shop,” the boy explained, taking on a more professional manner of speaking. “Fulfill a wish, claim your heart’s desire, find a solution to your problems —all of these are available, but at a price.”

“I’m sorry. I don’t…” _have a wish_. Kaito wanted to say, but his mouth halted.

“It’s no use, lying.” The boy crossed his arms into his wide sleeve ends. “Only those with a wish are able to see the shop. It is a precaution against others stealing into the shop and bringing misfortune upon themselves.

“If I had a wish,” Kaito challenged, “how can I be sure you can fulfill it?”

“Like I said, this is a wish shop; it is what I do. Every desire is granted, though not in the way you may prefer,” the boy said with a warning tone. “I suggest caution, or you might pay for something you cannot endure.”

Kaito was silent for a moment, thinking. A magic wish shop sounded absurd, but then again, Akako’s powers were also absurd and Kaito took her threats to heart. If a witch were possible, why not a wish shop? Besides, if the store held magic…

“Do you know of…” Kaito paused, but forced himself to speak, not wanting to turn tail and run now. “The gem called Pandora? Is that something you have in your… inventory?”

The boy blinked before calling back. “Mokona!”

“Here, here!” a black… rabbit(?) answered, holding up an old fashioned record keeper. Flipping through the papers, the rabbit muttered to itself. “Komodo dragon… Monkey’s paw… Paopu fruit… no, Pandora listed!”

Kaito felt stupid when his heart sank. Of course, it wouldn’t be that easy.

“We do not have it, but I can ensure you that you will find it,” the boy replied, pulling out another book with the label ‘Sales’ on it. “If you are willing to pay the price.”

This whole thing was sounding more and more like a scam. Kaito frowned. “How much is it?”

“We do not deal in money here,” the man said. “Not when it comes to wishes. If you desire something, you must give up something of equal value in return.”

“Then… what is equal in value to a gem?” Kaito asked. “Surely, you don’t mean for me to steal another for you?”

“Not in the least.” The boy shook his head. “After all, I am not selling you the gem, only the assurance that you will find it.”

“So then…” Kaito watched the boy open the sales book, only to stare down in surprise at the book. Curious, Kaito tried to look at the book, but the boy snapped it shut. “What?”

“Nothing, just…” the boy floundered a bit, obviously caught off guard. “Do you know today’s date?”

Cocking his head to the side, Kaito regarded the boy with a look before answering. “March 3rd, 2017. Why?”

“Forgot that I had a meeting with someone,” the boy replied, secreting away the book. “You’ll have to excuse me for today.”

“What about my wish?” Kaito argued. He didn’t know why he did. He had just been thinking this guy was a scam artist, so why did he feel so let down?

“Come back tomorrow,” the boy advised. “Take tonight to think it over. If you think you can deal with the consequences, then return.”

Then Kaito was all but thrown from the shop. He stared at the ‘Closed’ sign for several minutes before he shrugged. The guy was weird, but he’d told Kaito to return the next day. It wasn’t like the shop would just disappear.

So thinking, Kaito turned to continue on his scouting mission… and promptly forgot the shop even existed.

*             *             *             *             *

“Mokona doesn’t understand,” Mokona said. “Why did Watanuki chase off a customer?”

“I didn’t. I chased off an _ex_ -customer,” the dark-haired youth replied, splaying open the sales records. In looping, long-dead handwriting, read the words:

_ Client                                     Shopkeep                            Date                                      Payment _

_Kuroba Kaito                     Ichihara Yuko                    April 19, 2017                     Paid in full_

*             *             *             *             *

When Syaoran opened his eyes to a new world, he found his group thrown into the midst of chaos.

In the dead of night, the city they found themselves in was alit with hundreds of lights. Some were from rooms and some from streetlamps, but far more were from giant flying machines that wouldn’t have looked out of place in Piffle. The lights from them splashed over the ground as they roared overhead, so loud it was deafening.

There were shouts from a crowd of people far below and more people—police or enforcers of some kind, Syaoran guessed—scurried like ants around a nearby building. The flying machines hovered around the building too, though some flew close enough to buffet them where the group stood atop a flat roof.

Sakura let out a startled scream and covered her ears, cowering back into Syaoran’s arms as he, too, covered his ears. Fai looked curious at the spectacle of the crowd and machines while Kurogane looked wary and annoyed. The samurai snatched up Mokona from where the rabbit was comfortably seated in Fai’s arms.

“Oi! Meat bun!” Kurogane growled as he shook the magical creature. “Couldn’t you have put us somewhere else?! Maybe _away_ from all this?! We don’t want to be caught up in anything before we get a chance to catch our bearings!”

“But Mokona had to!” The white rabbit protested, a fierce frown on its pudgy face. “Something is going to happen here! Mokona feels it! Sakura-chan and everyone needs to be here!”

“If you haven’t noticed, something is _already_ going on, you little-!”

A door slammed open behind them. The sound of the metal ramming into the wall was swallowed by the flying machines for all but those on the roof top.

Immediately, Kurogane fell into a swordsman’s stance, hand grasping the hilt of his treasured blade. Fai stepped up next to him, his willowy form seeming paltry in comparison to the samurai’s ferocity. Syaoran and Sakura remained at the back, White Mokona now held between them as they waited for a potential enemy (or… ally?) to greet them.

Who they met was far more surprising.

A young child raced through the doorframe only to skid to a halt, wide-eyed at the sight of others on the roof. It was obvious that he was not expecting them, just as they had not expected him.

“Oi, kid!” Kurogane called, stance slackening the slightest bit. “Where are we?”

The child frowned, brow furrowing in confusion.

“Kuro-tan, that’s not how you ask!” Fai chided. “You’re supposed to ask nicely! After all, children will run away from you if you’re scary!”

“I told you! My name is-!”

Fai crouched down to the boy’s level, ignoring the other’s complaints. “Excuse me, boy? We’re travelers of a sort and new to the area, but it appears we have gotten lost. Would you mind telling us where we are?”

The boy didn’t seem to fall for Fai’s gentle act ( _good instincts…_ Kurogane thought) and instead took a step back from the group. He didn’t appear afraid, however. Instead, he appeared annoyed, possibly frustrated, which was… interesting. “You shouldn’t be here. The police have cordoned this section off. No persons are allowed higher than the twentieth floor.”

Oh… great. Right in the middle of a scandal of some sort involving the _police_.

Kurogane glared at Mokona.

“We really didn’t know,” Fai tried again, that same _fake_ smile on his lips. The boy eyed him warily.

“Are you with him?” the boy asked, furtive.

“Him?” Fai replied with a tilt of his head.

“That thief. He’s never worked with anyone before… not willingly anyway,” the boy grumbled to himself. “But you look like him.”

“Really?” Fai fiddled with his hair. “I would have thought it would be hard to be confused for someone else, though I guess I can’t be the only one with blonde hair.”

“It’s not your features.” The boy scoffed. “I wouldn’t be able to tell you what that thief looks like anyway. Any face I see could be false.”

A false face? That sounded strange, though Mokona hadn’t perked up, so maybe it was nothing?

“Then why do you say that we’re alike?”

“That smile is fake.” The boy pointed to Fai with an accusing finger. “It’s just like his.”

Fai blinked at him, wide-eyed as Kurogane grinned viciously, all teeth bared. “Looks like he’s got you pegged, damn Mage.”

Fai looked over to pout at him, not liking the taste of his own medicine.

“You didn’t answer my question,” the boy prompted. “Are you working with him?”

Kurogane shifted his gaze and straightened up, crossing his arms over his chest. “We are not. We don’t work with thieves, not unless we really have to.”

The boy’s eyes narrowed at that.

“I’m afraid Kuro-wan is right,” Fai continued. “We don’t know this thief that you’re talking about or why he’s so important.”

The kid’s eyebrows rose before he let out a biting laugh. “Right. Like I could believe that! Everyone in this day and age knows about Kaitou KID. Denying it just makes you more suspicious!”

“A _kid_?” Kurogane sputtered. “The thief is a _kid_? And you’re accusing _us_ of teaming up with him?! Is this some kind of _game_ you and he are playing?”

“It’s not a-!” the boy clenched his jaw and checked his watch. He looked back down the stairs he had come up and let out a long sigh. Then he turned back to them. “Looks like I was wrong about his escape —that is, if you aren’t a distraction for me...”

“We’re not-!”

“—Which I doubt, as he has never needed, nor _wanted_ a distraction for me once he’s gotten my full attention,” the kid continued without notice of Kurogane’s protest. “That leads me to believe that you really are just lost travelers, that and your unique clothes from various different cultures seem too out of place. Not his style at all.”

“Right, right,” Fai agreed calmly, glad that the situation was turning around. Right up until the boy glared at them.

“That doesn’t explain how you got through several police blockades and an entire building’s security system without tripping the alarms, save for the roof’s motion sensors.” The boy’s sharp eyes remained on them. “Do you have an answer for that?”

“Oh! Oh!” Mokona tumbled out of Sakura’s arms and hopped forward, one paw raised high. “Mokona does! Mokona does!”

The boy visibly startled, eyes going wide at the rabbit. “What the hell-!?”

“Mokona landed here!” Mokona continued. “Sakura-chan and the others came from Mokona’s mouth and landed here too! Mokona is how everyone is here!”

The boy took startled steps backwards as Mokona hopped towards him excitedly. “What is that thing?! I thought it was a stuffed animal! Is it a rabbit? How is it talking?!”

“Mokona is not a thing! Mokona is Mokona!”

“It’s a meat bun,” Kurogane replied sarcastically.

“No! Mokona is Mo-!”

“Anyway, you said yourself that you can tell we aren’t from around here —and that we can’t be friends of your little thief.” Kurogane crossed his arms. Fai crawled forward to catch Mokona in his hands, then stood up, looking down at the boy inquisitively. “Now, mind telling us where we _are_?”

The boy stared at the samurai, eyes narrowed before his attention caught on something unheard to them. His hand went to his ear where there was a… communicator? But smaller than those in Piffle. His entire body seemed to sag at whatever he had heard and, when he turned back to them, it looked like the fight had gone out of him… though only for the night. A fire burned in the depths of his eyes, one Kurogane could appreciate.

“Let’s head down stairs.” The boy turned away from them. “I don’t think the police would like to know that you four made it past their blockade.”

“Speaking of, how did you do it?” Fai asked as he followed first, with Sakura and Syaoran falling in-between him and Kurogane.

“I have permission,” the boy replied in the same mysterious way that damn Witch liked to talk. “This conference room is empty and outside of the police patrol range. We should be fine to talk here.”

“Talk.” Kurogane scoffed and crossed his arms. He leaned against the doorway, sure to keep himself in between the group and any possible ambushers. “What more is it that you want to know?”

Before the boy could reply, Mokona’s ears went up and the red jewel on its forehead started to glow. “Yuko-sama is calling!”

“Right now?!” Kurogane hated her horrible timing.

Despite his protests, her image faded into being before them, hair done up all nice and pretty, like she was _expecting_ to see someone other than them on the other line.

_“Ah, hello there, travelers.”_ She leaned her chin onto the knuckles of one hand. _“Made it safely, I assume._ ”

“As always.” Fai replied, that fake smile again on his face. “Mokona is quite the tour guide!”

“Thank you, Fai-mommy!”

Kurogane watched the kid choke with amusement.

“I’m sorry to ask, Yuko-sama,” Syaoran stepped forward with Sakura at his side. “But… you don’t normally call us. Is there an emergency? Has something happened? … Is this world dangerous?”

_“Nothing of import, no, but this world is on the very edges of the connected worlds I know. You must be careful in this realm as there is far less influence of Clow or Reed’s magic or that of my own. As for the reason I am calling…”_ Her eyes cut over to the dumb-struck boy watching on with wide-eyed shock. _“Edogawa Conan, correct?”_

The boy flinched back and fear entered his voice for the first time since meeting the group. “How do you know my name?”

_“I know the name of all my customers, past, present, and future…_ ” Her eyes narrowed on his form, though not unkindly. _“I am Yuko, the keeper of the wish shop. Any desire can be met… for the right price, of course.”_

*             *             *             *             *

Wish shop? A price? It sounded absolutely ludicrous! This whole ‘magic’ thing was ludicrous! There had never been magic in his life, nothing but sleight of hand and even that despicable thief had admitted that it wasn’t magic.

Now there were talking rabbits? And mysteriously appearing travelers? And an owner of a _wish shop_?

This had to be a dream.

Conan pinched himself and sucked in a pained breath when he didn’t awake.

This was real?

“ _You have a wish, I can feel it from here,”_ Yuko said, ignoring his reactions to all the displays of… (he shuddered) magic. “ _You wish to regain your true form, do you not?_ ”

Words of denial died on his lips. How did she know? How did she know that Edogawa Conan wasn’t real? No one was supposed to know outside of his small circle of trust, so _how_ -?!

Mouth shutting with a click, he regarded her warily.

“You must be wondering: how do I know?” The dark-haired woman smiled coyly at him. “I know many things, some good, some bad. Most of which are the wishes of my customers. I know because I must, in order to find the most balanced price. I know, because it is Hitsuzen.”

“Hitsuzen?” Conan repeated. He remembered hearing about the concept somewhere, one of his father’s philosophy books perhaps?

“ _A naturally foreordained event. A state in which other outcomes are impossible. A result which can only be obtained by a single causality, and all other causalities would necessarily create different results,”_ she explained, words quick and heavy, ones she has used far more than once. “ _There is no such thing as coincidence in this world. There is only Hitsuzen.”_

Conan regarded her with a stony expression. He didn’t believe her ability to help him in the least. He wanted to turn away from all this nonsense and trivia, but… something in him bade him to listen.

With a heart full of caution and doubt, he gave in.

“So?” he asked. “What is the price? For my ‘true form’ back?”

Yuko watched him for a long moment, eyes roving over his form, calculating. Seconds passed, then minutes, until it felt like she would never answer. Antsy, Conan opened his mouth to demand a reply, when she spoke. “ _Her memories of you.”_

The travelers gasped, jerking Conan’s attention to them.

“I won’t let you lay a finger on the princess!” the boy with green eyes seethed as he took a fighting stance in front of the lone girl of the group.

The girl behind him looked troubled. “But Syaoran, I don’t have many memories of him. It wouldn’t hurt to lose a few…?”

“You’ve already lost so many! I won’t let him-!”

“ _I was not speaking of your dear princess_.” The woman’s smile grew cold.

The blonde tilted his head, the only one seeming unperturbed. “If Sakura-hime is not ‘her’, then… who is?”

“ _Little Conan-kun knows of whom I speak_.” The witch raised an eyebrow.

And he did. He knew exactly who ‘she’ was. She was the one that kept him going, that waited patiently and only rarely asked the hard questions. She was a warm place, a kind smile, and gentle hands. She was who he was trying to get back _to_. But if she forgot him, if ‘he’ no longer existed for her…

“That defeats the purpose,” Conan spat, his tiny fists balling up in anger. “I’m trying to get _back_ to her! If she forgot-!”

_“That is the price of your wish_ ,” Yuko said. Conan gritted his teeth, wanting to protest, but her tone put a finality on the matter. There was no bargaining here.

“What is this about wishes?”

The new voice put the foreigners on guard. The tall, dark haired samurai drew his sword before Conan could blink. The green-eyed boy, Syaoran, also redirected his defensive crouch while the blonde cocked his hip to the side, unperturbed by the silent entrance of a new person.

Conan himself, turned with a glare. He knew that voice. “KID.”

“Tantei-kun.” The thief tipped his hat to the diminutive teen. Then he cocked his head at the floating image of Yuko. “That’s an interesting hologram there. What’s it made of? I’d love to add that to my acts. What technology and components did you use to make it?”

“Mokona is not a robot! Mokona is Mokona!” the tiny, white… rabbit(?) piped up.

“Mokona is right. I’m not sure what a… hologram is,” Syaoran tripped over the word with a small frown. “This is a magic portal to allow us to speak with Yuko.”

“Oh~ho? My apologies.” The thief came closer, making the group tense, only to kneel before Mokona and present the rabbit with a blue rose. “I will refrain from making the same mistake again. Can you forgive me?”

Mokona accepted the flower with a gasp. “KID-san is a wizard?!”

“Magician,” KID corrected as Conan spat, “ _Thief_.”

The two exchanged a hard look. Then KID turned back to the wary group who still eyed him with caution. Examining Mokona again, along with the image of Yuko, realization struck him and he held his hands up in the universal sign of surrender. “Ah, but perhaps I should clarify. I do not do actual magic. Sleight of hand is my specialty… among a few others.”

This, he demonstrated by flashing cards from nowhere, first in one hand, then both, then none at all as they disappeared to whence they came.

“He speaks the truth,” the blonde noted. “I do not sense magic from him. You can put your sword away, Kuro-wan.”

“Or maybe I should use it to cut out that idiotic tongue of yours!” Kuro-wan(?) bit back, but his sword disappeared into its sheath. “It’s Kurogane, Mage. Get it right.”

“But that’s no fun.” The mage smiled brightly, but it still felt… off to Conan. It looked like the kind of smile KID gave him in the beginning, before Conan had become a challenge and, arguably, one of KID’s favorite critics.

By the look in the samurai’s eyes, Conan wondered if he, too, noticed this.

“Since you already know Kuro-tan’s and Mokona’s names, I suppose other introductions are in order.” The blonde waved a flippant hand around the group. “I am Fai D. Fluorite. This is Princess Sakura and Syaoran, from the kingdom of Clow. The woman in the portal is Yuko, the Dimensional Witch and keeper of the wish shop.”

“Wish shop…?” Kid looked contemplative before his fist smacked against his palm. “Right! That shop! I just remembered! But…” he frowned at the woman, ignoring the stunned looks of the group. “Wasn’t the shopkeeper a boy?"

“No! Yuko has always been Yuko!” Mokona shouted, but Yuko seemed far from insulted. Instead, she seemed curious.

“ _This boy_ ,” she asked, “ _could you describe him?”_

“About my height, dark hair, glasses. Mismatched eyes,” KID listed off. “He was young, but he didn’t seem new to being the shopkeeper. Do you trade off?”

“ _Ah, that is my assistant, Watanuki.”_ She smiled, but said no more of him. “ _When did you find the shop?”_

“Two weeks ago, though I forgot about it until now.” KID frowned. “He told me to come back the next day, but… it entirely slipped my mind.”

“ _Hmm…_ ” Yuko looked only mildly concerned. “ _So you, too, have a wish?”_

“I do,” KID said without further explanation. “Though I know not the price.”

“ _You are searching for something of great power_.” Yuko frowned. “ _What do you plan to do with it when you find it?_ ”

“Nothing bad. I assure you,” KID replied vaguely. “In fact, I am trying to keep it _away_ from the criminals here.”

What? This was the first Conan was hearing about other criminals! Since when…?

Yuko gave him a cold, calculating look, before sighing heavily. “ _I cannot give you what you seek, but I can assure you that you will find it. Will that suffice?_ ”

“It is what your assistant said as well.” KID smiled. “At this point, I’ll take what I can get.”

“ _The price then, are the memories of what drove you to search for it in the first place_ ,” Yuko said.

KID’s smile fell into a blank mask, one startling in intensity. Conan hadn’t been aware he could make such a face… he didn’t like it. “… Then how do I remember what I am looking for?”

“ _You will pay in installments. Working from the first memory to now. With each step closer to your goal, you will lose another memory,”_ Yuko explained. “ _When what you seek is in your grasp, you will forget why you wanted it in the first place_.”

“That defeats the purpose!” Conan shouted again, outraged at this woman’s so called ‘price’. “There’s no way he’s going to-!”

“Deal,” KID said, not a hint of hesitation.

Conan choked on his words and turned to the thief. “K-KID?”

KID simply smiled back. “Don’t worry, Tantei-kun. This is something that must be done and if this is the price, I will pay it.”

Conan’s jaw dropped. Just what was so important that the thief was willing to lose precious _memories_ in order to obtain it?

“ _Your payment has been accepted,_ ” Yuko said, moving her hands beneath the screen. Mokona suddenly opened its mouth and spat out a silver loop, gleaming in the moonlight. “ _This ring will be your promise to me. It will both guide you and take your payment with each step_.”

KID knelt and accepted the ring. He turned it over in his fingers, examining the simple band before spiriting it away. “Thank you, Ojou-sama.”

He turned to Conan and held out a gem from his pocket. “Oh! And I believe this is what Keibu-dono is looking for. Mind returning it for me, Tantei-kun?”

“KID!” Conan’s hand went to his wrist watch. “We aren’t done here!”

“I think you’ll find…” The thief held up a small black ball, the sight of which sent Fai and Kurogane covering the two younger teens. “That we are.”

Conan covered his eyes just as the flash grenade met the ground. When the dark spots left his eyes, the thief was already gone.

*             *             *             *             *

“So the reason you called is for a client?” Fai asked, knowing full well what the witch’s answer would be.

_“But of course._ ” She smiled salaciously at them. “ _I live to grant wishes, after all…”_

Fai just grinned back. “So, is there anything else?”

_“Nothing else, except… this world will be harder to integrate into.”_ She ran a nail along her bottom lip. “ _I wouldn’t stay long, if I were you._ ”

Then her image faded out of existence.

“What do you think she meant by that?” Syaoran asked, turning worried eyes onto Fai.

“She meant that you are very suspicious people and that not many would buy your story of magic and dimensional travel,” Conan said from the edge of the group. Despite being shaken by the existence of _magic_ only minutes earlier, he had that hard look in his eyes again. “If I hadn’t seen the events of the past few minutes, I would be in my right mind to turn all of you in to police custody.”

“Ah, but you won’t.” Fai cocked his head to the side with a self-confident grin. “Right~?”

“All evidence points to the truth of your story,” Conan said begrudgingly. “But even then, you’ll have a hard time surviving in this world as you are.”

“We’ve survived before,” Kurogane said, crossing his arms. “We’ll get a job, find a place to crash, and once we’ve found what we’re looking for, we’ll move on.”

“Ah, but to get a job, you need a place of residence and address.” Conan held up a finger, then a second and a thumb. “To get a place of residence, you need money and a credit line. Money might be easy, but a credit line comes with a social security number, one that you most assuredly do not have as you are not part of this world. You might be able to apply for some, but it will take several weeks before any paperwork can go through…”

“And by then, we’ll be shit out of luck,” Kurogane growled, following the logic quite well. He gritted his teeth and glared at Fai, like _he_ had the answers. “So what do we do now?”

Honestly, Fai had no idea. They had not come across such a situation before in their travels. Thankfully, he need not answer himself.

“If you don’t mind a bit of company, you can stay at my… cousin’s place,” Conan offered.

“Oi.” Kurogane squinted at him judgingly. “Should you really be offering up your cousin’s place? “

“He won’t mind. He’s not using it.” Conan shrugged. “There’s already another tenant living there at the moment. He tends to keep to himself, so you shouldn’t have a problem with him.”

“Well, if you think your cousin won’t mind…” Fai smiled brightly. “We accept your generous offer!”

“Oi, damn Mage!”

“Great, follow me,” Conan said as he turned to head down the stairs. They passed the hallways with little fanfare. They came across a police patrol, but Conan’s smooth talking helped them get away with only a pinch to the cheek (which had Fai questioning the competency of the police forces of the city they resided in).

At the ground floor, they ran into a portly older gentleman with spectacles and a young, strawberry-blonde girl around Conan’s age, obviously waiting on the young boy leading them.

The girl frowned at them, distrust heavy in her eyes. The elderly man simply looked confused.

“Who are these?” the girl asked, voice hard.

“I’m not sure you would believe me if I told you,” Conan replied, voice deadpan with only a hint of despair. “They’re going to stay at my… cousin’s house for a while.”

Fai’s ears caught on the second bout of hesitancy when it came to the child’s ‘cousin’. Possibly something minor, but possibly not. He would have to keep watch for any other slip-ups the boy could make.

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” the girl cast another glance their way. “After all, you already have someone else living there.”

“It’ll be fine, Haibara.” Conan waved her off. “They’re only here until they find what they’re looking for and then they’re gone.”

“And how long will that take?” this question was directed to Fai.

“I believe the longest was a month or two,” Fai replied. “The shortest was a matter of hours.”

“And this time?” She pressed. Oh, smart girl. She wouldn’t let him get away with a half answer.

“Mokona feels the feather in the city,” Mokona replied, making the girl’s eyes go wide. “But it’s not close enough for Mokona to pick out. It will take a while yet to find.”

“I-It _talks_?” she squeaked.

Conan scoffed and put his hands in his pockets. “Told you, you wouldn’t believe me.”

“Fascinating!” The elderly man crouched down, looking Mokona in the face. “Is this a robot? To be able to answer a question such as Ai-chan’s must mean it has quite the extensive AI programing behind it…”

“Mokona is not a robot! Mokona is Mokona!”

“… Hah?”

“Professor,” Conan called the man’s attention to him. “I’ll explain later. For now, we need to go.”

And, surprisingly enough, the much older man followed the order. It was strange, seeing an adult respecting the words of a child. It had happened earlier with those police too. This world must have some different views on age as a whole. Perhaps they were similar to Fai’s world where time ran differently for everyone. Conan might be much older than he first appeared.

The elderly man had a motorized vehicle for transportation, but it would in no way, shape or form be able to hold the travelling group. Instead, he and the girl, Haibara, went ahead of them and promised to explain the situation to ‘Okiya-san’, who was the other tenant Conan spoke of.

The rest of them walked through the city, earning some looks for their strange garb, but otherwise not drawing too much of a fuss in general. Fai wondered what kind of culture this was to see four strangers in foreign clothing and think nothing of it.

“May I ask what city this is?” Syaoran asked, always eager to gain some knowledge of the worlds they visited and the structures behind them. “It seems rather large.”

“Tokyo, Japan,” Conan replied, to a sputter from Kurogane, who looked at the city with a new understanding. “Home to over nine million people and hot spot of tourist across the globe. It’s rivalled by Kyoto in terms of tourist attractions, but with far fewer permanent residents.”

“N-nine _million_?!” Syaoran gaped at the number. “That’s so many! How do you have that many in a city?”

“By pretty much living on top of each other.” Conan grimaced. “It’s been worse in recent years, but there are a number of projects meant to ease the space restriction. Some should be finished next year and people can start to move in. You don’t have to worry about space though. Shinichi-nii-san’s house is big. His parents are a famous actress and a well-known author. They had enough money to buy a house with plenty of space.”

The kid wasn’t joking either.

When they arrived, the house they came to was quite large. Fai wouldn’t call it a castle or anything of the sort, but it was definitely bigger than the café they had in Otou country. What’s more, it didn’t appear to be split into a functional space either. All rooms were residential only, no store front or workshop around –except maybe the library that reached to the second floor. Fai noticed the way Syaoran’s eyes lit up at the well of information.

“Hello there!” a voice called from the second floor. “Nice to see you again, Conan-kun! These must be the visitors Haibara and Agasa spoke of?”

“Un!” Conan answered, voice pitched higher and strangely bubbly. Fai blinked down at the child who looked _far_ more child-like than they had seen in the last hour. “I know Okiya-san likes his space, but they have nowhere else to go! It would be really sad if they had to sleep outside, wouldn’t it?”

The fair-skinned man laughed and made his way down the stairs. “You don’t need to convince me, Conan-kun. After all, this is _your_ cousin’s house. I’m just living here until I can get another place closer to the university.”

“But Okiya-san was here first.” Conan dropped his voice in a little shame. His toes dug into the carpet unconsciously. “You might not want roommates…”

“I’m sure we won’t have any problems.” Okiya looked to them with a questioning smile. “I keep all of my important things in my room and make sure to clean up after myself. As long as you don’t go sneaking around, we should all be fine, right?”

“Sneaking around,” Kurogane said aggressively. “Like you got something to hide?”

“Of course not!” the man laughed like the samurai had said a funny joke. “But I figured you would prefer if I don’t go looking through your things as well. I can be quite curious as Conan could verify, but I’ll do my best to keep myself out of your business.”

Kurogane scoffed. “We’ve got nothing to hide.”

“Oh?” Okiya sounded interested, but also like he wasn’t going to press. When Kurogane didn’t comment further, he waved a hand towards another door. “Would you like to join me for dinner? I was about to make curry.”

“Oh!” Mokona leaned out over Sakura’s arms. “Fai-san makes good curry! Fai-san is the bestest cook ever!”

If Okiya was shocked by Mokona’s presence, he didn’t show it –something that immediately caught Fai’s attention, along with Kurogane when he chanced a glance. “Is he now? Well then, I might have to ask Fai-san for some help. Unfortunately, I’ve only ever lived with others until now, so my own cooking skills aren’t the best. Perhaps he could teach me sometime?”

“I would be delighted!” Fai answered, covering his suspicions for now. “And, of course, I would like to learn from Okiya-san as well!”

“Ah, but I don’t have very many skills.” Okiya scratched the back of his neck with embarrassment. “I’m just a graduate student after all. If you want to learn some history of our older eras or of past shoguns, I would be happy to help, but other than that, I am quite useless.”

“You’re in luck!” Fai nudged Syaoran forward from where he had already been eyeing Okiya with rapt attention. “Syaoran-kun here just _loves_ that kind of stuff!”

“Oh?” Okiya smiled at the boy. “A fan of history, are we?”

“I-I used to work at the ruins back home,” Syaoran answered nervously. “I was something of an archaeologist with my father. The histories of the different worlds we travel to have always interested me!”

“Different worlds?” Okiya frowned, finally showing something other than polite interest in their conversation. “Whatever do you mean?”

Fai shared a look between the other four before deciding: “I’ll explain it to you as I cook. For now, where are all the utensils?”

*             *             *             *             *

Conan knew the moment the group had started talking about their next steps that he couldn’t let them run off on their own. If not for their own suspicious backstory (which turned out to be _true_ , as hard as it was to believe), then for their connection to some magical entity (shudder) that seemed to be able to grant wishes –or at least _claimed_ to.

He wasn’t sure he believed her words, but KID had taken them at face value. Despite his own suspicions about the thief, the other had always appeared level-headed and not an easy one to fool. If _he_ believed the woman’s words, then…

Conan found himself thinking circles around the matter as he led them to his home and showed them each to a room. There weren’t many bedrooms available. His own room was off-limits for obvious reasons and Okiya had taken another room on his own. There was one more room that could be converted quickly to a bedroom and then the Master Bedroom where his parents stayed when they were in town.

He didn’t like the idea of someone else sleeping in his parents’ bed, but he had little choice left. He had asked them to come, so he needed to make good on his promise.

By the time everything was sorted out, it was dark outside and Conan opted to call Ran and tell her he was staying over at Agasa’s that night. She seemed relieved that he wasn’t going to try to navigate the streets in the dark and said she’d be by the next morning to pick up him. His saving grace was that it was Friday and, therefore, the weekend started tomorrow. If it had been a weekday, there was no way he would have gotten past her parental instincts.

Now that everything was settled, Conan took stock of the residents. Okiya and Fai were in the kitchen working on dinner and conversing. Syaoran and Sakura were in the library, the first pouring over some reference material Conan’s father had picked up and the latter reading some of his mother’s favorite books. Kurogane had been searching the backyard the last Conan checked, so that left…

Mokona, the white rabbit hopping between the kitchen and the library, looking after its group.

“Mokona-san?” Conan called, making the rabbit’s ears perk. “Can I speak with you? Please?”

Mokona paused, staring at him with closed eyes before the ruby on its forehead flashed once. Then it smiled brightly at him and waddled over. “Of course!”

Conan led the creature up the flight of stairs to a quieter part of the house. He was sure that no one was around, but he didn’t know how long that would last. He had to make this quick.

“Mokona, can I speak to the Dimensional Witch… please?” Conan requested.

“Mmm… okay. Mokona will call her,” Mokona said, its gem glowing. “There’s no guarantee that Black Mokona will pick up though.”

Seconds passed then Yuko appeared on the screen again, though in a different uniform than before. Her hair was in a disorganized mess and her eyes were reddened with the familiar tinge of alcohol.

Guess even Dimensional Witches had their bad days. Though, this reminded Conan far too much of Kogoro’s post-client-meeting drinks. It had only been two hours since they last spoke. She did not need to look that drunk.

“ _What do you want?”_ she demanded, voice slightly slurred.

“I want to know,” Conan said clearly, “why KID’s price was different from mine.”

Those red eyes suddenly cleared as a stern look crossed her face. _“Answers have prices, boy. You sure you want to pay the toll?”_

“…What is it you want?” Conan asked, not wanting to box himself in. If it was Ran’s memories, the answer would always be ‘no’.

Yuko eyed him before answering. _“Watch over Kaitou KID and make sure he doesn’t lose himself.”_

Conan blinked. “Why would KID play any roll in an answer for me?”

_“I owe something to a client long past,”_ she said mysteriously, reaching to pick up a small drinking cup. “ _And that boy is too pure for your world. He will fall prey to the darkness before long, if he does not have his driving force. You must make sure that he does not, or his end will come too soon.”_

End? Like… death? KID would die? Conan couldn’t help a little disbelief at those words. Someone as fantastic, as ethereal as KID couldn’t possible just… die. It was impossible. KID could outrun death itself, right?

But then… Conan knew just how concrete death was. He knew, more than anyone, that it would always find a way, sometimes more gruesome than others.

“ _Well?”_ she prompted. _“Do you agree to keep KID in line?”_

When worded that way, Conan couldn’t help but scoff. “I was already planning to do that.”

She raised an eyebrow, as if to question him, but instead, answered. _“You wish to right a wrong done to you and get revenge on those who have done it. He wishes to right a wrong done to another by impeding those who caused it.”_

“That sounds like we’re doing the same thing.” He pointed out.

_“It was your reckless actions that landed you in this form,”_ she stated coldly. _“You went looking for trouble and didn’t think of the one you left behind. To return, the one left behind must forget you and move on. It is acceptable for the pain you caused.”_

Conan gritted his teeth, old guilt flaring bright and brief.

_“As for KID, he has taken up another’s cross as his own,”_ she said, voice warming. _“He suffered for it, but he drags no other into his mess. He has already paid the price of ‘himself’ to take up his mantle. To forget his drive is to take that burden from him and allow his true self to return.”_

“Another’s cross…?” Conan frowned. “You’re talking about the first KID.”

She smiled coyly, fingers playing with a lock of dark hair. _“Is that another question?”_

Conan pursed his lips to refrain from answering. “So, if I instead, changed my request from ‘returning to my true form’ to ‘ensuring I will find an antidote’ like you did for KID –would my price change?”

Her eyebrows lifted up her brow. _“Interesting. Very few have thought to change their wish, once a price is named.”_

Conan refused to raise to her taunt.

“ _If ensuring is what you see, I can change the price,”_ she allowed, hands once again doing something below the screen.

“To what?” Conan demanded.

_“To remembering,”_ she answered as Mokona spat out another ring, similar to the one KID received earlier that day. However, this one looked worn down, as if aged by centuries. One side had a crooked scrape through the metal, as if caught on some unyielding material and dragged uncaringly across it.

 “Remember what?” Conan asked, taking the ring from Mokona.

_“What KID forgets,”_ Yuko answered. _“He will forget his drive, little by little until it is gone, but you will remember it for him. Little by little, the memories will transfer from him to you.”_

“… You sent this ring before I ever agreed,” he said. “Did you think I would?”

_“I knew you would,”_ she said. _“Because it is Hitsuzen.”_

“Hitsuzen again?” Conan wrinkled his nose. “It can’t possible stretch that far.”

_“It will happen because it was always meant to,”_ she answered. _“KID was always meant to forget, while you were always meant to remember. Because of this, KID chose to accept his price and because he did, so do you. You are two halves of the same coin, the sun and moon chasing each other in an endless dance.”_

Conan felt his stomach squirm at her words. They made his and KID’s relationship feel… more _intimate_ than it really was. “I think you might be misunderstanding.”

_“Whether you believe or not is inconsequential.”_ She shrugged. _“Every event that has ever happened to you has led you to this moment. Now.”_ Her eyes narrowed. _“Do you find this payment reasonable?”_

Conan weighed the ring in his palm. It didn’t seem like Conan would lose anything in this situation. Yes, he would get memories not his own, but those would be easily distinguished. He might get headaches or similar effects due to new information being downloaded to his mind, but surely it wouldn’t be too bad. The thief couldn’t possible lose that many memories.

What would Conan gain in return? He would get insight to the thief’s life, to the thing that drove the magician to steal every full moon and return the jewels like clockwork. He would understand the thief in the way he had always craved, would get answers to the riddle that was Kaitou KID.

He might even get a name…

Conan’s fist closed around the ring. “I accept this payment.”

_“Then you will find an antidote to return you to your true form,”_ she said with a finality that the universe listened to. _“For the price of taking KID’s drive as your own, it is ensured.”_

Conan nodded to her and the image faded away.

“Mokona is hungry now!” Mokona said, hopping away to the kitchen downstairs. “Come down when you’re ready!”

Conan watched it go, then looked at the ring in his palm. It was too big, fitted for an adult, not a child’s finger. He wouldn’t be able to wear the ring without losing it… but he might be able to find another way. He remembered that his mother sometimes wore her wedding ring on a simple chain if she wouldn’t be allowed to wear it for a scene. He was sure there was a spare chain somewhere on her vanity.

A quick search found him a simple silver chain, long enough to hide the ring underneath his shirt. It fell to his belly button, with how long the chain was, but it would have to work. With the chain now around his neck, he paused for a moment, as if the magic would suddenly take effect and he would be inundated with memories not his own…

But the ring was quiet and his mind blank.

He looked at it once more before shrugging and hiding it away.

Okiya called for him, signaling the food was ready, and Conan went to join the strange band of travelers.

*             *             *             *             *

Yuko sighed as the image faded from view. Oh those boys… if only they knew what was in store for them…

“Are you finished with your call?” her shop assistant asked. His dark hair was hidden back behind a white bandana and his school uniform behind a smock, showing that he’d just finished making her evening meal. His dark eyes watched her with concern. “Wasn’t he the one that you called yesterday?”

“In our time, yes, but it’s only been a few hours for him,” she confirmed, running a hand through her hair before turning to her meal. “I wasn’t sure if he would pay the price, but I shouldn’t have worried. He and KID are too closely linked.”

Watanuki frowned at her, wary. “Aren’t you a little too invested in that thief? It seems that you are taking too many liberties where deals are concerned with him.”

“Is that what it looks like to you?” Yuko asked around a mouthful of tempura. She swallowed and looked down at her hands. “I am merely balancing out a payment met years ago.”

“Years ago?” Watanuki repeated as Mokona and the twins dug in with gusto.

“His father,” Yuko said, pausing in her meal. “He came to me with a request: To find Pandora and destroy it once and for all.”

“But… isn’t that what KID is looking to do?” Watanuki scowled. “Does that mean his father didn’t pay the price? And he left it to his son instead?”

“The price has been paid, but only by half,” Yuko said. At Watanuki’s confusion, she continued. “In order to lay claim to such a precious artifact as Pandora, Kuroba Toichi must give up something equally precious to himself. The shop demanded the memories of his wife, so she would become a stranger in his house. But he didn’t just want to obtain Pandora, he wanted to _destroy it_. To end an immortal artifact, one must destroy life itself –the price would have been his own son’s life.”

Watanuki’s eyes went wide. He swallowed thickly. “But… KID-san is still alive, right? So his father didn’t pay the price…”

“Like I said, he paid in half.” She rested her chin on her knuckles, watching her assistant with deep, sorrowful eyes. “He bartered with me, something the shop does not always allow, but in this case, he didn’t try to change the price, only who would pay it.”

“Who would pay it…?”

“His son would earn his deal by losing his memories of what drove him to find Pandora.” Yuko looked down at her bottle of sake, wishing to numb the headache that had followed her since accepting the deal. “Toichi himself, would lose his life in order to ensure Pandora’s destruction.”

“But that’s-!” Watanuki stumbled. “That’s impossible, right? His own life for a-?”

“Pandora is a gem that goes beyond the knowledge of human limitations. To kill it, one must pay a debt of blood,” Yuko said as she poured herself a shot of sake. She raised the small cup to her lips. “However, it is never said _when_ one must pay for the deed to be done.”

She tipped her head back. The liquid burned down her throat, but brought with it that numbing relief, if only for a few moments. “But bartering in such a way, it is inevitable that the balance skewed over time.”

Watanuki jerked back. He knew that the shop never liked it when payments were not equal. If the difference was too vast, the shop would take it out of the shopkeepers themselves.

“I did not take into account the amount of pain and sadness a young child would feel at the loss of his father,” Yuko said, leaning her temple against the palm of her hand. “I will take those memories away, but the affect will still be known. The balance will remain skewed. That is why I am taking more leeway with this particular customer, because if I do not, the backlash will be great.”

Watanuki looked at his hands, taking in the information. Perhaps there were some things that just couldn’t be accounted for in the first settings of a deal. Perhaps, Yuko too, had to learn from the ground up.

“Watanuki.” Yuko waved the empty sake bottle at him. “More sake!”

He scowled, but rose to his feet. “Fine, but _only this once_!”

She cheered as he left to retrieve more from the kitchen.

*             *             *             *             *

Kaito toyed with the loop on his right ring finger, spinning it round and round as he contemplated the brochures before him. The ring was a simple band, silver and bright, a brand new gleam to its surface. It appeared, for all intents and purposes, like a normal ring. To be honest, Kaito still wasn’t 100% certain that the ‘payment’ was real and that his wish would come true, but at this point, he was prepared to give anything a try.

He didn’t really think he was forgetting anything, but then again… would he remember if he had? Would he be able to tell when the payments started to cash in? Or would he only recognize it afterwards, when he was missing large parts of his life?

Or would he still not know what was going on? Would he forget himself?

Kaito shook his head and ran a hand down his face instead. No, he couldn’t worry about that right now. He needed to look for a gem for his next heist. The previous one had been a dud (no surprise there) and he was beginning to believe that this was all a wild goose chase.

But so long as those murderers came after him, he would continue to hold heists –up until they had been dealt with in whatever way he could afford.

Before that though, he needed a _target_.

Sighing, he rested his chin on his knuckles and looked over the brochures once again, eyes drawn to a familiar picture for the umpteenth time in the past ten minutes. The particular brochure was denoting a new exhibit traveling in from the European nations. It had a number of high-dollar pieces that KID wouldn’t hesitate to send a notice out for, along with several more ‘in-the-rough’ stones that had an interesting flair to them.

His eyes kept dropping to a particular stone that was nothing more than a footnote in the museum’s article.

It was a jewel that normally, Kaito wouldn’t have picked. It was rough, still in its crystalline form. Every gem Kaito had targeted had been cut, polished and set into a piece of jewelry. It made sense that the legendary Pandora would be a set stone if it had been around as long as it had. Nothing that precious would be left in a hard-to-carry rough state. A ring or necklace would make it all the more portable.

Speaking of precious, the gem that caught his eye was far from the most valuable gem Kaito had encountered. Though obsidian crystal points surrounded the gem in a random fashion, the center was made of simple quartz. Neither material was considered worthy of gemstones and jewelry. The only reason it was part of the exhibit was due to the rarity of its formation and the inability to cut and set it without destroying the gem as a whole.

And yet… it called to him. Something felt… right about it.

So Kaito circled it and smiled to himself.

*             *             *             *             *

_A round table in a crowded room, the lights dark save for a single spotlight on the stage. A man, his father, standing there, arms held wide as the audience waited with baited breath. The lights singled out another man, sitting alone at a table. Suddenly, the man began to rise, chair and all, to hover over the table. The crowd rippled with excited murmurs._

_“That’s my dad over there,” Shinichi whispered to the girl next to him. He twisted around to shoot her a prideful smile. “Isn’t he amazing?”_

_Ran looked away, unimpressed. “That’s obvious.” She stuck her tongue out at him. “But it’s not like that makes_ you _amazing._ ”

_Of course not. Ran knew that he wanted to be like his father, but that Shinichi also wanted to_ surpass _his father. He wouldn’t take any credit from Yuusaku, wouldn’t ride any coattails. He would become the greatest on his own merit._

_But still, the insinuation made him angry._

_“What did you say? For a cheeky girl like you…” Shinichi scowled and grabbed at her dress, intent on making her flash the rest of the audience which –what? That wasn’t like him, not at all. When did he become such a crass person? Even in his memories…_

_Ran cried out, but before he could get far, his own chair rose up over her head, putting her out of his reach. He clamped his hands down on the chair to keep from falling off. Soft footsteps sounded to his left._

_“Now, now,” the newcomer said. “You should never bully a lady.”_

_That voice. Shinichi knew that voice. That voice belonged to his fa-!_

_This man was not his father._

_Shinichi looked over, expecting Kudou Yuusaku, but was met with the face of a stranger. Yet, he wasn’t afraid. He did not know the man, but the adult held a kind set to his eyes, the kind with gentle admonishment and careful reproach. It was a look that made Shinichi feel guilty for disappointing him when he knew he could do better._

_“Do you understand, young man?”_

_“I understand,” Shinichi answered, guiltily._

_“Good boy.” The man smiled and snapped his fingers. Shinichi’s chair dropped out from under him and-!_

Conan awoke with a jerk of his legs, as if trying to catch himself. His heart beat a little too loud in his ears and his stomach thrummed with the lingering effects of adrenaline. He let out a shaky sigh and cursed his brain for playing tricks on him. He hated dreams of falling, they always brought him to in a state of paranoia. Although… he didn’t feel paranoid. Instead he felt…

_“Now, now. You should never bully a lady…”_

Guilty. For some reason he couldn’t understand. Or he could understand, but couldn’t… _place_.

His dream had yet to fade from memory, clinging like some of Shinichi’s older memories when he was feeling particularly nostalgic. Perhaps that was it?

Conan had a regretful period (mercifully short) where he had obsessed over magicians and all sorts of tricks to bamboozle the eye. He wasn’t one for performing the tricks himself, oh no. He wanted to _uncover_ the tricks, teach his eyes not to be slighted.

After doing so for a long time, the magic had been lost to him.

But back in the beginning, simple things like a hovering chair had astounded him. That particular scene though… was unfamiliar. He had always been unlucky during shows and never picked as a volunteer. Perhaps the magicians knew he would have exposed their trick and avoided him.

If so, then, what was with this dream? Why would he dream it now? And why in this context?

“Conan-kun!” a new, yet familiar voice called. “We have breakfast downstairs for whenever you are ready.”

Right. Fai and Kurogane, Syaoran and Sakura, Mokona and… _the witch_. Conan felt the ring on the chain around his neck. Did it feel warmer than usual? Or had it just grown accustomed to his body heat?

Was the dream a mem-?

“Conan-kun?”

“I heard you,” he replied. “I’ll be down soon.”

“Okay! Oh! And Agasa-san said that a Mouri Ran called for you?”

“I’ll call her back later,” Conan said as he got up from his much too large bed. “Thank you for letting me know.”

“No problem!” And the mage was gone, skipping back down the stairs to join the others.

Conan fiddle with the ring a bit more, then let it fall to his chest. He would examine the dream later when he wasn’t surrounded by too many people with watchful eyes.

*             *             *             *             *

The moment Akako stepped foot on the school grounds, she felt it: the mark of another witch. She drew a magic shield around her without hesitation, but no attack came and no trap flared up in reaction. She approached the building cautiously, waving at the various boys that panted after her and fell to her feet with lust.

The mark she felt was powerful, far more powerful than Akako herself. The witch who cast it must be very old and come from pure blood. Akako’s line had only three generations in it so far; this witch’s must have dozens.

She would be no easy foe.

But as Akako continued to her class, she didn’t feel the presence of another witch, only that of a mark left behind. It could be that the witch was suppressing her magic and hiding herself, but why would a being so powerful need to hide? There was nothing that could touch a creature with such high magical potential, nothing in the world, not even other witches.

And then, Akako saw it –a presence around Kuroba.

Not a presence, no, more like a mist obscuring him from view, but only just.

The mark was on _him_.

She paused in the middle of the doorway, eyes roving over him, searching out the source of the mark, of the spell or hex that the witch had cast on him. Her eyes hurt with how hard she had to look, until she finally caught sight of it, a small warping of the light around his ring finger.

This was no ordinary witch, not at all.

At the source of every witch was a power that came in all different colors of the spectrum. It defined her magic, her personality, her _self_. It was embedded into her very core and colored every spell and enchantment that she ever cast.

This spell, however, held no color. It was void of the telling hue of its owner, but there was still something there, some sustenance the spell fed upon. Akako had never encountered it in her life, but she didn’t like it.

She had to get it away from Kuroba.

Poor boy probably didn’t even know he’d been cursed.

Leaving the doorway and ignoring the concerned looks sent her way, she stomped over to his desk, determined expression on her face. She saw him look up as she approached, saw his lips moving, his words forming an unenthused greeting, but she cut right to the chase. “Give me that ring.”

Indigo eyes stared at her in confusion and a little bit frustration. A pale hand wrapped around his finger and she nearly breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, for once, he was _listening to her_ -!

Then he shook his head. “What? No way, Akako! It’s mine!”

“I’m doing this for you, you ungrateful fool!” she hissed through gritted teeth. She didn’t want someone overhearing them, but couldn’t for the life of her calm her temper. “That ring has a curse on it! Another witch’s mark! I know you don’t believe in the magical arts, but I swear, if you could just _listen to me_ _for once in your life-!_ ”

“I know,” he said, cutting her off. She should be mad at that –no one interrupted Koizumi Akako! –but she only found herself stunned. He knew? He knew and he _admitted it_? He knew and he _still wouldn’t hand it over_?!

“I don’t think you do!” Her jaw tensed against the profanity unfit for a lady. She wanted to wring his neck, but couldn’t because there were _people_ here and she actually cared if _he_ died. She hated that she loved him sometimes. “Kuroba, I know you pretend to be ignorant of such matters, but that ring is nothing but bad news! There’s no telling what it will do!”

“It will take my memories,” he said bluntly, eyes staring at her with a simple sort of innocence that struck her dumb. “Little by little over time. Not all of them, but those that matter most.”

She worked her jaw, words bottle-necking at her tongue. “Then… if you know… then you should give it to me! I can break the curse! I can keep you from losing-!”

“No,” he said, eyes turning hard, losing that innocence from before. She took a step back, as if struck. “I can’t let you do that, Akako. This is something I must do, a price I must pay, in order to obtain that which I seek.”

“A price…?” She frowned. A curse placed on him is a ‘price’? In order to obtain what he sought? That sounded like payment for a… for a _wish_. Her eyes took in the sight of the ring anew. “Kuroba, where did you get that ring?”

The hard look vanished, eyes blinking at her with confusion at the sudden turn in conversation. “Haaa… I don’t really remember. I know it was a lady that I spoke to, but I think I recall the shop on my way home from school… but I don’t remember passing it this morning.”

So that meant the shop was still near this dimension, though for how long was another matter. Still, if this was the fabled _Wish Shop_ , then Akako really couldn’t pass this chance up. Tucking this information away for later, she crossed her arms with a huff. “You know, if you were having trouble obtaining something, I would be more than happy to offer some assistance… for a price of my own.”

He smiled brightly at her, chin resting in the palm of his hand. “Thanks Akako, but this is something I have to do on my own.”

No doubt, his stubbornness was astounding.

Yet another reason why she loved him.

But soon, when she found that wish shop, _he_ would love her too.

*             *             *             *             *

Okiya watched as his new roommates hurried about the house.

Sakura was still sleeping in, along with Mokona. To his eyes, she seemed to always be low on energy, always a little airheaded where new information came about. He supposed it was part of losing her memories, though he wasn’t sure how much of that he believed. Fai had said she hadn’t woken up for several of the first worlds they had been too, but Okiya was withholding his opinion.

Their entire story sounded impossible, but seemed to hold some truth, if he were being honest with himself.

Kurogane was probably the greatest piece of evidence Okiya had seen. The sword the man held was an authentic samurai sword, timed at roughly the Edo era –or a time like it anyway. The man’s entire person radiated a fiery temper and cold-blooded killer, though it resembled Okiya himself more than perhaps Vermouth or someone of the sort. That change still felt new, though, like it was a recent development due to current company.

He was a man of the sword, of that Okiya was certain.

Fai D. Fluorite was another large piece of evidence, if for a different reason. The man hardly seemed like a strong presence, acting more like the wind than any person had the right to. But that first night, when they had been in the kitchen and discussing the group’s situation, Fai had asked about his own.

“Is there a reason you don’t show us your true face?” Fai asked. “Or was the reason here long before us?”

Okiya hadn’t had an answer and it was then that he realized who the truly dangerous was. Kurogane would give him the fight of his life, but Fai wouldn’t have to lift a finger to put Okiya down for good.

He didn’t know Conan’s plan, but the boy had certainly surrounded Okiya with dangerous people.

Then there was Syaoran, a boy who was equal parts protective of his princess and curious about the world. His drive to keep her safe and find her feathers was admirable, especially given his handicap, but something seemed amiss about the boy, something Okiya couldn’t put his finger on. Then the teen would turn right around and ask if humans had really gone all the way to the _moon_ and Okiya would have to laugh at his innocence. He was a strange boy indeed.

Lastly was Mokona, a being that really, shouldn’t exist. Though the creature was child-like and excitable, it was also filled with magic beyond Okiya’s reluctant comprehension. There was no way Okiya could evaluate a threat level for something so far out of his scope.

Despite his assessment, the group were actually quite good roommates. They took care of their things, kept the place clean, managed to work around each other in a way Okiya had seen strike teams decades old unable to do. It was interesting to watch for sure. For now, he would continue to play the role he’d assigned himself and allow things to play out.

After all, he had trusted Conan with his life. He could trust him with this too.

*             *             *             *             *

“Are you sure about this next target, Bocchama?” Jii-chan asked, looking a little uncertain about the gem in question.

It was the middle of the week after the heist, still a week and two days until the weekend when the jewel would be put on display with the rest of the exhibit. Kaito didn’t often choose a target before he’d had a chance to see it up close, but this timeline already felt like it was taking too long. His fingers itched to wear white gloves, his feet to pound across tile and concrete. He almost couldn’t hold himself back for the heist.

But first, he had to convince Jii-chan.

“I know that it doesn’t fit with the ones that we normally go after, but it just… feels right?” Kaito looked at the copy of the brochure he’d picked up. “I’m going to do a little reconnaissance to make sure, but… I feel good about this one, Jii-chan. _Really good_.”

Jii-chan stared at him with an old tiredness to his eyes. Finally, the man sighed and folded the brochure back. “Let me know what idea you get this time, okay? I’ll need to ask my inventor friend for help, so let me know the trick you’re planning ahead of time.”

“Will do!” Kaito grinned brightly and pushed away from the bar. He still had three and a half weeks to plan out his heist.  One week would be devising a trick, roughly two weeks more would be for putting the trick into place and then a few days to make any necessary tweaks according to what Nakamouri came up with. Everything needed to be perfect, no matter the cost.

This was one heist he couldn’t afford to fail on.

*             *             *             *             *

_The man with kind eyes again, hand wrapped around Shinichi’s from the back. Something soft and bendy in the palm of his small, loose fist. Shinichi stared hard at it, watching, willing himself to understand._

_“Now, with the rose tucked in already, you want to keep your hand above their eye level, so they can’t see the petals from the top,” the man said in his ear. “Remember, keep your fist loose or the stem will bend and snap and ruin the effect.”_

_Shinichi nodded, careful to do as the man said._

_“Then, when you flick your thumb, relax all other fingers except your pinky. You don’t want the flower to fall.” The man demonstrated, nudging Shinichi’s fingers apart. “And –pop! There’s a flower.”_

_“Wow~!” Shinichi said, breathlessly awed at the simple display of magic._

_“Now you try!” the man said, smile in his voice. “Go on, K-!”_

“Conan-kun?”

Conan blinked at the call of his name. He looked up to find green eyes staring down at in him concern. Sakura hovered over him, hand pressed to his forehead. He sputtered and ducked away. She frowned. “Are you feeling okay? You don’t have a fever, but you were just staring off into space for several minutes.”

“I’m fine. Don’t worry about me.” Conan waved her off, ignoring the look she shared with Syaoran. “I just had a long day at school. The Shounen Tantei wanted to hear about another of Shinichi-nii-san’s cases and wouldn’t let me go home until I told them one.”

“Shinichi, your cousin?” Kurogane asked, brow furrowed. “His parents are the owners of the house, right?”

“Yes!” Conan nodded. “But he’s away on a case right now, so he hasn’t been by for a long time.”

“How long is ‘long’?” Syaoran asked, looking just as concerned. “Have you heard from him? Is he okay?”

“He doesn’t call a lot, but I can call him if I need help on a case or something!” Conan grinned. “He’s really good at detective work. I want to be just like him when I grow up!”

Kurogane scowled. “Oi, brat. Lose the fake-!”

“Aw, that’s adorable!” Fai cooed, hands on his cheeks. “You must really look up to him, huh, Conan-kun?”

“Un!” Conan agreed, digging into his meal again. “He’s the best!”

“Oi! Damn Mage! Don’t interrupt me!”

“But Kuro-wanwan! You were going to be mean again!”

“I wasn’t-!”

Conan tuned them out. He focused on appearing normal even as his thoughts ran in a whirlwind.

What was with that sudden flashback? No, not flashback –that would imply that memory was his own. This one was very much _not_. Shinichi never learned how to do magic tricks. He never cared to learn and his father never pushed to teach him. They focused on cases and deduction as a bonding activity, not sleight of hand.

So that meant that the memory wasn’t his. Instead, it belonged to…

Kaitou KID.

His fingers found their way to the ring again, clenching his shirt tight around it. He knew the price of his deal was remembering for KID, but how much would he know? How many memories would come his way? How fast would they come? KID would lose one for every step towards his target that he took.

What did it mean that Conan had received two within the first three days of their independent deals?

“Oi, brat. You’re pale,” Kurogane said gruffly. “What are you thinking about?”

Conan shook his head. “Just… wondering. KID promised to give up the memories of his drive, right? I wonder what he’s forgetting…”

The group got silent. The two adults looked to the two younger party members while Syaoran looked to Sakura. The girl stared down at her hands, fidgeting.

“I don’t know, but… even forgetting the smallest thing feels like losing a large part of your life,” she said, eyes skirting to Syaoran and back to her hands. “If it was something that pushed him to into a deal with Yuko-san… I can’t help but think it was very important to him.”

Conan supposed that was very true, but the memories he had seen thus far… just what, exactly, was that?

*             *             *             *             *

It was the first weekend after the heist before Kaito got the chance to check out the museum that would be the stage of his next performance. The museum was fairly large, with wide rooms packed full of exhibits. Several hallways twisted off from each room, crisscrossing each other and depositing Kaito into a completely different area than he first started in. Its maze-like quality had him running around in circles, making himself dizzy before he sat down with a map and really took a look at the layout.

The variance of tight spaces and wide areas would make it hard to set up an over-arching theme to his tricks. He wasn’t _averse_ to setting up small traps here and there, but… gosh darn it, _Tantei-kun_ would be there! He couldn’t show up with anything but his best! And if the witch was right, if this gem was _the one_ …

Kaito’s hand tightened into a fist, the ring pressing firmly into his flesh.

He wanted to think: If this is KID’s last heist… but would it be? Would Kaito be able to hang up the hat when this was all done? Would he be able to step away from the adrenaline rush and the cheering crowds? Could he pass on finally dazzling Tantei-kun with his shows?

… He’d have to.

No matter how much he wanted it, he would have to end it. Perhaps one more show, to throw off anyone on his trail, but that was it. No more after that.

Once Pandora was destroyed, KID would be gone forever and Kaito…

Well, Kaito would be left with Kuroba Kaito… whoever that was beneath the monocle.

But that was later. Before then, he had a trick to create and a heist to plan! Now… how did he get out of here again…?

*             *             *             *             *

_A round table with three other players, cards in hand. This was the only one lit by spotlight, all the others had chairs place upside down on them, put away for the night. He sat on his father’s knee, looking at his own cards. Confusion bubbled alongside excitement within him. “Kaito, do you know what a Poker face is?”_

_His lips parted and he spoke, “Poker face?”_

_“In poker, no matter what hand you’re dealt, you can’t let your face show it.” His father flicked two cards forward, rejects to be replaced. He looked at the new hand as he parsed his father’s words. “It’s the same with magic.”_

_His father placed his hand down and flipped over the cards. “Call.”_

_The men let out appreciative noises as he turned up a Royal Flush. He was shocked by his own father’s lucky hand._

_“Listen well, Kaito.” The man looked down, eyes as kind as before. “Always wear your Poker Face, no matter what.”_

_He nodded in agreement, but… he couldn’t. Shinichi couldn’t. Because he wasn’t a magician, he wasn’t this man’s son, he wasn’t_ Kaito _-!_

“Conan!”

Conan gasped as he came back to his surroundings with a hand yanking on the back of his collar. His eyes went wide and adrenaline shot through him at the sudden restriction to his air ways.  His instincts told him to bolt forward, away from his attacker, and he almost _listened_ and then-!

_Nyooom!_

A car raced past him, tearing through the spot he would have been not two seconds ago, had it not been for the hand on his collar.

“Conan-kun!” Ayumi whined, eyes on the verge of tearing up with concern. “Are you okay?”

“What were you thinking!?” Mitsuhiko demanded, hands on his hips. “If Genta hadn’t pulled you back, you’d have been a road pancake!”

“Yeah! What were you thinking?!” Genta reiterated, dropping Conan to his feet.

“I… Um…” Conan laughed nervously and scratched at the back of his neck. “Sorry, I was just… really focused on something. I wasn’t watching where I was going.”

“Focused on something?” Ayumi tilted her head to the side before brightening considerably. “Like a new case?!”

“No, nothing like that.” Conan waved his hands emphatically at the darkening looks on Mitsuhiko and Genta’s faces. “You know I would never work on a case without you guys!”

“You’ve done it before.” Genta huffed and crossed his arms.

“If it’s not a case, then what is it?” Mitsuhiko asked, perplexed. Honestly, it’s like he thinks cases are the only thing on Conan’s mind!

Which… is true, but at least give him the benefit of the doubt!

“Just… thinking about Okiya-san’s new roommates,” Conan confided. “They seem a little… weird? Even for foreigners.”

“Oh yeah! The ones that moved in next to Haibara, right?” Mitsuhiko hit his palm with his other hand. “Now that I think about it, it was pretty sudden too. I didn’t even know Okiya-san was looking for roommates!”

“Okiya-san must be lonely!” Ayumi added in. “He always goes over to see Ai-chan and Agasa-san! And he’s always bringing over his food too, but it’s not very good. Maybe his roommates make the food now so he can eat good?”

“They make food?” Genta asked, his stomach grumbling at the mere mention. He laughed, embarrassed. “Can we go see how good it is? We can’t let Okiya-san eat bad food, you know? Like, what if they put poison in it?”

Conan rolled his eyes. “They won’t put-!”

“Yeah, or if they put in something he’s allergic to!” Ayumi continued.

“But the only reason they would do that is if they’re actually bad guys,” Mitsuhiko said, hand on his chin in thought.

“Exactly,” Conan said, “And they aren’t, so-!”

“But the way they just suddenly showed up one day is suspicious. And if they are poisoning Okiya-san, then what are they after?” Mitsuhiko looked to the other two, a determined look shared between them all. “That house was empty before right? The scary house at the end of the road?”

Conan wanted to defend his home, but they were already steam-rolling past him.

“Yeah! The one the kid died in!” Ayumi agreed.

“Are you thinking they’re behind that too?” Genta went pale. “And maybe, they left something in the house? Something that Okiya-san could find, so they want to silence him too?!”

“That… that sounds bad.” Mitsuhiko blanched, but he wasn’t denying it.

Conan had had enough. “All right, that’s it! We’re going over there and you are meeting them and then we are going to have a serious talk about making up fantasies in your heads about people you don’t even know!”

“Ah, but, Conan-!”

“Conan-kun!”

“They’ll kill us!”

“No, they won’t,” Conan said confidently. “I’ve already been over there and I’m still alive, aren’t I?”

They didn’t immediately answer. He turned back to scowl at their pale faces. “I’m not a ghost.”

“That’s what a ghost would say.” Mitsuhiko pointed out.

Conan rolled his eyes. “Genta grabbed me by the collar, right? You can’t touch ghosts, but he was able to touch and stop me from crossing the street. Therefore, I can’t be a ghost.”

A second passed, then two… then the three kids let out a relieved sigh. Conan just scoffed and led the way.

As they spoke behind him, throwing around more conjectures about Okiya’s new roommates, Conan took a minute to think back to the scene that had nearly gotten him killed.

The memory had come out of nowhere, putting him in a completely different time and place. If Genta had been a second slower, Conan would have died and not even realized it. That was a scary thought. If these memories could spring up whenever, there’s no telling what the consequences would be. He would have to talk with Haibara about setting up some sort of system when she was over her cold. She was the only one that marginally knew his current circumstances. She was the only one he could trust with this.

In the meantime…

_“Listen well, Kaito. Always wear your Poker Face, no matter what.”_

Kaito… _his_ name, the memory of the child on his father’s knee. _KID’s first name_ and one key to figuring out his identity. Would Conan learn his last name too? Could he find KID through the memories he left behind?

Perhaps… but it felt like cheating. Conan’s not sure if he would feel good about such a back-handed victory. He certainly wouldn’t feel like he earned it. Even more than that, it felt like a breach in the promise he’d made to the witch, the one to watch over KID after this whole ordeal was over.

So instead of writing it down, he let it sink into the back of his mind like the rest of the memories.

If he found out KID’s name from the memories, he wouldn’t go searching, he decided. Somethings crossed the line and this was one of them. If he ended up recognizing KID outside the heists, he wouldn’t approach, wouldn’t accuse. Only during heists would Conan let himself chase.

After all, it was only fair.

*             *             *             *             *

The kids were shy at first, but opened up to Fai and Sakura fairly quickly, once they determined the two were not secret serial killers. Fai’s cookies did a nice job of softening them up, Genta the most.

In the middle of their afternoon snack, Kurogane and Syaoran returned from a day in the city. With his dark clothes and frustrated face, Kurogane sent the kids scurrying off again.

Seems he just exuded that ‘killer’ vibe.

Conan wouldn’t argue with it. The feeling he got was that the man had seen far more death that even Conan had at that point, but it was a different kind of death. It was death on a barren wasteland, on the fields of battle, where blood salted the ground and cursed the plants growing there. It was death, yes, but one of need, whether that need was great or little.

Conan chose not to think about it, especially since the scent was stale in the air around the samurai. Instead, he approached with a bright smile despite the man’s glare.

“So what did you do today?” Conan asked.

“Kurogane-san and I went out looking for Sakura’s feather.” Syaoran’s face fell. “We ran into a dead end.”

Ah yes, Sakura’s feather. Conan had heard the tale in the few days prior. The feather was another work of (breathe, just breathe) _magic_ that contained Sakura’s memories, bits and pieces of her life. It seemed that a curse had scattered them across time and space, prompting her friend Syaoran to seek them out and retrieve them for her. In the beginning, there had been a very real threat of her dying without them. Now, they had some time with which to search.

However, last he had checked, they had no clue where to even start looking. To hear they had started a search was surprising.

“You had a lead?” Conan’s eyebrows rose.

“He means an actual dead end,” Kurogane clarified. “A brick wall. Your city has a lot of them.”

Before Conan could ask their method of search, Mokona raised its hand. “Mokona can feel the energy of Sakura’s feather! It’s one of Mokona’s 108 special techniques! But the feather is out of range right now, Mokona feels it but can’t lock onto it.”

Oh, so the rabbit worked like a compass?

“What’s your range for locking on?” Conan asked, curious.

“About 20 meters!” Mokona replied happily.

Conan scowled. “So… a large room?”

“No way, no way! Bigger! Bigger!”

“Uh-huh, right,” Conan said sarcastically. It riled Mokona up, but before it could go on a rant about its powers, the Shounen Tantei-dan fell upon it, enchanted by the magical talking rabbit. They seemed far more open to magic than Conan had been at that age.

“Maybe we could jump across the rooftops?” Syaoran suggested. “We wouldn’t run into dead ends that way.”

Conan shook his head. “I wouldn’t recommend that. While the police aren’t uptight about parkour, doing so on the rooftops is just asking for the KID Taskforce to target you.”

“KID Taskforce?” Kurogane wrinkled his nose. “There’s a force to look after children?”

“Oh! You’re talking about the magician we met the other night, aren’t you?” Fai brightened. “His name was… Kaitou KID if I am correct?”

_Listen well, Kaito…_

Conan shook the thought way. “Yes, Kaitou KID or International Thief 1412, has an entire police taskforce dedicated to tracking him down and catching him. Any suspicious activity will draw them in, especially if they believe it’s for a heist.”

“Hmm… so rooftops are out.” Syaoran looked to Sakura sadly. “Guess we’re back to being on foot.”

“Not necessarily.” Conan dug a brochure out of his bag. He’d brought it purposefully to show the group in an effort to help with their search. It had been his main reason of heading out that day. Picking up the Shounen Tantei-dan had been… a bonus. “Tokyo is a pretty big place and something of a tourist site. If you wanted, you could join a couple tour groups or take the bus system around. I can get a bus card for you if you need one.”

“I also don’t mind showing you around,” Okiya offered around a cookie. “Though I would like to be back by three every day. I have a show I want to watch.”

“Thank you very much for your offer, Okiya-san!” Sakura beamed.

Fai smiled too, but down at Conan instead. “Thank you, Co-chan. That was very thoughtful of you.”

He shrugged. “I just thought of what Shinichi-nii-san would do. He would have offered to take you himself, but I’m too young to do that.”

“Hm… young, yes.” Fai’s smile grew strange. “But immature? No.”

Conan frowned at him.

“Sometimes, I think you are far too smart to be a child,” Fai stated, then turned away like he hadn’t just caused Conan’s world to freeze up. “Who wants curry~?”

Seems like the mage was far from oblivious like Conan had assumed.

*             *             *             *             *

Saguru stared at his prime suspect, watching his classmate go about his day. He didn’t know what it was, but there was something about Kuroba that was… _off_. He had wondered if the teen was acting any differently, but Saguru couldn’t point to one instance where it was obvious. There was just a… _feeling_ Saguru got when around him.

Now, Saguru wasn’t one to trust his gut without evidence, but right now, his instincts were the only things he had. And he’s sure Kuroba wouldn’t leave evidence behind.

So, he would have to approach the teen in person.

“Kuroba-kun…” Saguru started, taking a seat at the desk next to him. He kept his voice down to keep away from the rest of the class. “Are you… feeling okay? You seem… off all last week and even worse today.”

“Hhmmm? Oh yeah.” Kuroba blinked, as if coming back from some far off dream. “I’m fine. Just planning things.”

That piqued Saguru’s interest. “Planning? Something big?”

“Not yet. I’m fresh out of ideas and my stage is too strange. I want to do something that works _with_ it, but nothing comes to mind. I could do small things too show off, but...” Kuroba ran an irritated hand through his hair. “ _He’s_ going to be there. I can’t afford to not bring my A-game!”

The way Kuroba was talking… it sounded like a heist. With a certain elementary detective that loved to challenge KID, enough to earn the title of KID Killer.

“What is it you’re planning?” Saguru asked, taking a chance now that Kuroba was so forthcoming for a change.

But Kuroba seemed to remember himself and just scowled at Saguru. “A magic show, obviously. There are going to be some pretty big-name scouts for agencies. This could be my big break!”

“At the same time, you won’t lose anything if you mess up. You can always try again next time.” Saguru shrugged, following along with Kuroba’s lie. He frowned when Kuroba looked distracted again. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“I’m fine. I’m fine.” Kuroba waved him off. “I’ll be even better in a week or two. Lots, lots better.”

And if that wasn’t an ominous phrase, Saguru didn’t know what was. However, before he could question the magician further, the teacher approached the front of the class and called the students to order.

Saguru hurried to his seat, not one to be late in his chair, but he couldn’t keep his gaze from lingering on Kuroba again. Something was definitely off, but if Kuroba wouldn’t tell him, Saguru would just have to keep an eye on him.

He would find out what was bothering the teen, no matter how long it took.

*             *             *             *             *

The brochures Conan had given them had proved invaluable.

The ones with the bus routes and subway lines were the most useful, but the tourist sites were what caught Fai and Sakura’s attention the most. Kurogane griped the entire time as they pointed to various places they wanted to go and local food stalls to check out. Syaoran just took everyone’s interests into account and formulated a route to take them around.

“Are you sure Kudou-san won’t mind us using her clothes?” Syaoran asked tentatively. Behind him, Sakura and Fai were already playing dress-up with the extensive wardrobe. Kurogane had needed to borrow clothes from Okiya, since he appeared to be too tall and muscular to fit into the elder Kudou’s shirts.

It was strange that he seemed to fit Okiya’s just fine.

“Of course she won’t mind.” Okiya waved off his concerns. “She quite likes playing dress-up with her guests. These are clothes that she made herself, too, so you don’t need to worry about ruining anything from a movie or show.”

“Ah, right!” Fai giggled from behind a bright pink kimono. “Kudou-san is a famous actress, correct? Then she has played many different roles. It makes sense that she has so many tastes in clothes!”

“But even _male_ clothing?” Kurogane turned his nose up in disgust. “Unless she’s a warrior like Souma, I don’t understand the need.”

“Kudou-san is a bit… eccentric,” Okiya explained, crossing his arms. “Though, I wouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth if I were you.”

Kurogane stared at him. “Why look a horse in the mouth at all?”

“Silly Kuro-Kuro!” Fai laughed. “It’s an expression!”

“I know that, damn Mage!”

“Syaoran! Look!” Sakura bounced over to him with an armful of cloth. “We can match!”

Syaoran felt his face flush, but didn’t protest.

Once everyone had dressed for the day and laid out clothes they could wear the rest of the week, Syaoran presented his plan to the rest of the group.

“It looks like the subway line will take us all the way around the city proper,” Syaoran said as he pointed at the map Conan had gotten them. “It also has multiple stops so we can change over if Mokona feels the feather more powerfully in a different direction. The round trip takes about two hours.”

“Two hours around a city this big?” Kurogane gave the map a suspicious look.

“Japan is known for their fast public transport system and impeccable timing,” Okiya noted. “Bullet trains can go 320 kilometers per hour, though only in straight lines at the moment.”

Syaoran looked over at Sakura. “That’s almost as fast as a Piffle car.”

“Piffle?” Okiya repeated.

“A world we visited. Very technologically advanced.” Fai smiled. “Their flying car race was quite enjoyable.”

Okiya’s eyebrows rose but he turned back to the map. “If we’re taking the subway, we’ll need passes for everyone. I have one already, so we’ll just need four.”

“Five!” Mokona raised a paw. “Mokona too!”

“Mokona rides for free.” Okiya poked the rabbit’s forehead at its cheer. “How long do you think the search will take? The passes are typically bought by the month, but can be purchased weekly or daily.”

“A day should be fine,” Kurogane said. “We cover the city in two hours and whittle down options from there. One day and done.”

Syaoran glanced at where Fai and Mokona were pouting. They had wanted to see shops and other attractions along the way. Sakura also had a sad but resigned look on her face. And, well, Syaoran couldn’t let his princess be sad.

Leaning in close to Okiya, Syaoran whispered as Fai and Kurogane fought. “You might want to buy week passes… just in case.”

Okiya eyed the mage and warrior and simply nodded in understanding.

Syaoran was right.

In the two hours it should have taken to go around the city, they had gotten off at three stops to browse the shops and attractions. Not every stop had something, but Syaoran had carefully marked the sites Fai, Sakura, and Mokona had wanted to visit on his map, much to Kurogane’s displeasure and Okiya’s amusement. Apparently, despite living in Tokyo for most of his life, Okiya hadn’t seen even a quarter of the attractions available in the city proper.

“You learn new things every day,” Okiya had said, smiling down at a small gacha ball –a souvenir from the world’s largest gacha machine.

*             *             *             *             *

“Ah, Jii-chan, I just don’t know!” Kaito whined into his chocolate milk. “I really want to come up with a good trick, something that will really _wow_ Tantei-kun! But I’m coming up with nothing!”

“You know, not every heist has to be a spectacle,” Jii-chan replied as he wiped down the bar and got ready for the after-work rush. “It’s okay to fall back on the basics sometimes.”

“But it’s a heist with _Tantei-kun_!” Kaito grumbled. “It’s different!”

“If you always go for something grand, you’ll burn yourself out before too long, Bocchama,” the older man advised. “I’m sure your little detective will understand. Sometimes, the familiar things are nice too.”

“Familiar…” Kaito thought for a moment before a grin spread across his face. “Okay, Jii-chan, basics it is. But next time will be a big show! Mark my words!”

“Yes, yes, Bocchama.” Jii-chan laughed light-heartedly. “I’ll make sure to place traps around the museum before the heist and mark them on a map for you. Make sure to come by before the big day so you can memorize it.”

“I will, Jii-chan!” Kaito pushed his empty glass forward and saluted the man. Slinging his backpack over his shoulders, Kaito made his way out the door…

And wondered why he had been there in the first place.

*             *             *             *             *

_“Kaito, I want to introduce you to Konosuke Jii,”_ _the man with kind eyes said to Shinichi, crouching slightly to get onto Shinichi’s level. “He’s going to be my new assistant for my tricks. He’s going to be here a lot, so be sure to be nice to him.”_

_Shinichi scowled at the man. “But… I’m you’re assistant!”_

_“Not quite, little magician.” The man ruffled his hair, laughing brightly. “You are an apprentice, something even greater than an assistant. Jii-san, I will teach only what he needs to know for the trick. You, I will teach and mentor until you are able to surpass me and become an even greater magician. Until then, though, you will have to settle for learning a few of my tricks each day.”_

_“Me? A magician?” Shinichi stared at the man with wonder. “Does that mean Jii-chan will be my assistant too?”_

_The man with kind eyes laughed as Konosuke Jii smiled down. “Maybe, but you’ll have to ask him yourself.”_

_“Jii-chan!” Shinichi immediately turned a determined stare onto the man. “Be my assistant!”_

_“Please, Kaito.”_

_“… Be my assistant, please?”_

_Jii laughed at Shinichi’s antics. “Of course, Bocchama! Whenever you want!”_

_Shinichi felt his face split into a grin._

Conan blinked, feeling his lips twist up at the edges.

“What’s so funny, Conan-kun?” Ran asked from across the table as the two ate.

“Huh?” Conan’s smile dropped, as if it wasn’t there to begin with. “Nothing. Just… remembered something.”

“Oh?” Ran cocked her head to the side, a questioning smile on her lips. “What was it? Come on, share with me!”

“I, uh… forgot,” Conan said around his chopsticks, silently hoping the conversation would end.

She pouted. “You’re just like Shinichi sometimes, being all secretive.”

Conan swallowed thickly. “A-am I?”

“It’s fine.” She sighed, resting her chin in her palm. “I get that some stuff would go over my head, but I will want the choice to _try_ to understand. Sometimes I wonder what’s going on in that head of his.”

Conan wondered the same, though not for the same person.

Kaitou KID was a mystery that Conan sorely wanted to solve. He had hoped that his memories would give him some clue to the man beneath the hat, some idea of just what his drive was, but… so far, it seemed that it was all show-boating and attention seeking. It was all ‘magician’ this and ‘magic trick’ that. There wasn’t any sustenance that Conan could draw from for a good insight into the thief.

And perhaps that was all there was to it. Perhaps that’s all KID was, nothing but a flamboyant adrenaline junkie with an addiction to his face on the front page. Maybe Conan was trying to read something into nothing.

Sometimes, there really was no mystery to solve.

Conan felt his heart sink at the thought.

*             *             *             *             *

Nakamori stared at the heist notice with a frown. It was earlier than usual, a whole two weeks before the appointed time. It gave Nakamori far more time to prepare for the fateful day. He should be happy for the thief’s mistake, so why…?

Why did it feel like this was the end of their chase? Why did it feel like KID was disappearing again, this time for good?

Why did it feel like he had already lost?

No! Nakamori shook his head. He couldn’t afford to think like that. He needed to get his act together and use this precious time effectively.

KID had given him two weeks to prepare. He would use every last second, starting with figuring out this riddle. There wasn’t a moment to lose.

He picked up the phone and called Edogawa Conan, KID Killer.

*             *             *             *             *

It took a week longer than planned but they had travelled the whole outer circuit of Tokyo’s subway system. They also had a multitude of souvenirs that they likely couldn’t take with them, but they should make fun gifts for Yuko when they saw her next.

“Sakura’s feather is definitely in the city,” Mokona said, standing on the map and looking down at their week’s worth of progress. “Mokona felt it more strongly here and here when we got off the subway and all of these stops here.”

“That narrows down our search to a long strip here.” Kurogane drew a line around the area.

“It could also include the area here that is close to where we explored, but not close to the subway’s stops.” Syaoran drew a circle around another, smaller part towards the center of the city.

“So if we look at the over-lapping areas.” Fai pointed a slender finger at where the two crossed. “Then we have a much better starting point than we did last week. Good job, Kuro-tan!”

“Shut it, Mage!” Kurogane growled as he opened up other maps for what lay in the overlapped areas.

“You make for some pretty good detectives,” Okiya noted as he sipped at his tea.

“Not good, just used to this.” Syaoran smiled wanly.

“Right, you’ve been searching for a while now.” Okiya placed his cup down. “I would imagine it would be very hard to find a feather though, more than anything I’ve attempted to find.”

“More than you would think. Sometimes, it’s not in the same form at all.” Syaoran let out a soft sigh. “One time, it was a book, another time, a crystal, yet another time, it was in a _person_. There’s no telling what form it’s in this time, not until we find it.”

“That’s a lot of variety.” Okiya frowned. “Is there nothing to tie them together? To make the search easier?”

“Only that the item in question is powerful,” Syaoran replied, fingers tightening in his pants. “The feathers have a piece of Sakura’s magic in them, so they hold various properties that make them unique and sought after by all kinds of people. But since this world doesn’t believe in magic, I have to think that this isn’t the case this time around.

Okiya dwelt on this information for a moment before starting off in a different direction. “You have mentioned other worlds a lot. In these other worlds, have you ever met a double before? A clone of someone you know?”

“Oh! All the time!” Syaoran leaned his head back to stare at the ceiling in thought, a small smile on his lips. “The Ryuji we’ve met in other worlds has always been nice and Tomoyo always has become fast friends with Sakura, no matter where we are.”

“Have you ever met a copy of someone in your group?” Okiya’s eyebrows rose. “I would assume that would be an event.”

Syaoran frowned. “Now that you mention it… no, I don’t think so. We had one world where we got separated and I thought the Fai and Kurogane we met were different, but it ended up just being an aspect of that world. I don’t think we’ve ever run into another one of us.”

“Isn’t that odd?” Okiya asked. “If you’ve met doubles before of others, but never yourself… that sounds strange in the scale of probabilities.”

“Maybe…” Syaoran shrugged. “Or the feathers just avoided worlds with other Sakuras. If you think of it like magnets, like opposes like, right?”

“But that wouldn’t explain not seeing another you,” Okiya pointed out. Syaoran looked at him funny.

“I wouldn’t be in a world where Sakura wasn’t.” The words were said with such innocent belief that Okiya felt himself coming up short. Before he could continue to argue his point, Fai had called Syaoran over to help with their plans.

Okiya couldn’t help but let the words chase themselves in his mind. It seemed… strange, for a boy half his age to say.

Okiya watched the group with narrowed eyes.

*             *             *             *             *

_Sneaking past his father’s student was great practice for his skills. The lady didn’t notice him until he was on her, presenting a blue rose in the way his father had taught him. She was delighted at the gift, but not at the honorifics he used._

_His mom was like that too._

_Were all girls weird? Aoko wasn’t like that, so he had to think it was something that happened as girls grew up. He hoped that she didn’t grow up like that. It didn’t seem like any fun._

_His father spoke, asking about some riddle and then performed the greatest magic trick Kaito had seen yet. Before the woman ever showed the envelope to him, he guessed the contents of his message: a simple ‘!’._

_When he asked his father after the student left, his father just laughed. “It is because the greatest critics are the ones that know you as well as you know yourself.”_

_He had frowned, not understanding. “So… you’re friends?”_

_His father had laughed. “I suppose that’s one way of putting it. He is my greatest friend, strictest rival, and most trustworthy ally.”_

_He grinned widely. He couldn’t wait to have a friend like that!_

Conan jolted awake, memory settling like a book in a shelf. He had enough memories now that it was starting to feel like he had lived _three_ childhoods instead of two (his original and his current).

He wondered what it was like for KID, losing those memories. Could he feel himself growing emptier with every step he took? Did he worry about what memories would be gone the next time he looked? Or did he even notice them missing?

Conan shook his head.

That didn’t matter right now. What did matter was that Conan recognized one of those people, the lady –his mother, his _actual_ mother. She had learned from many mentors as she worked her way up the acting ladder, but that man… _his_ father, must have been something special if they were exchanging messages. Or rather, she brought the messages from someone else.

Who else could that be?

Curious, he dialed up her phone as he got dressed for school that morning.

The cheery voice that greeted him was far too sunny for that early in the morning.

_“Shin-chan!_ ” she squealed in greeting. _“It’s not like you to call me during a school day! Are you okay? Do you need help with some disguise? A mother’s touch?”_

Conan scowled as he pulled a sweater on. “No, just had a weird dream last night and… Your mentors from before, did you ever work under a magician?”

“ _Of course I did! Several different ones!_ ” she replied, a serious tone he had missed earlier gone. “ _Everything from sleight of hand to escape tricks and disguise. I took my roles very seriously you know! I wouldn’t be half the actress I am if I didn’t!”_

“There’s one in particular that I’m looking for,” Conan said, putting his watch on and checking it over to make sure it was functional. “Tall, dark hair, had a son probably around eight or so at the time. You delivered a message to him?”

_“Kuroba Toichi-sensei!_ ” she squeaked. “ _He was the best magician I ever worked under. I always had so much trouble figuring out how he did his tricks! And his son was the cutest little thing ever –aside from you, of course.”_

Conan scowled. He didn’t need to be called cute, especially since he was stuck in a small body again. Though… he had a name now.

Kuroba Kaito, assuming KID had kept his father’s last name.

“ _But… I don’t think I ever told you about that message,_ ” his mother said, voice growing softer, curious. “ _It seemed so off-handed to me. It was a nice magic trick, but I couldn’t get your father to tell me anything about it, so I forgot. How… did you know?”_

“I had a –wait, why ask Otou-san?” Conan frowned out the window. “Why would he know?”

“ _Well, he was the one who asked me to deliver the message.”_

And suddenly, everything clicked.

A magician who taught KID everything he knew, one that his father had communicated with despite being a detective with no reason to…

_He is my greatest friend, strictest rival, and most trustworthy ally._

Kuroba Toichi was the first KID.

His father, Kudou Yuusaku knew this, yet let the thief run amok.

But… _why_?

His phone chimed in his ear, signaling another call. He pulled back to check the number. It was for the police station.

“Sorry, Mom. I have to go,” Conan said quickly. “The police are calling me. If they’re calling Conan, then it must be either a witness or…”

A heist notice.

Ignoring her protests, he hung up and answered the other call before it could go to voicemail. “Hello? Edogawa Conan speaking.”

“ _KID Killer, I’ve got another heist notice this morning._ ” It was Inspector Nakamori. Just like Conan thought. But…

“It’s early, isn’t it?” Conan asked, looking over to where Mouri’s calendar graced the walls, filled with Yoko’s show times and days for horse racing. “His last heist was only two weeks ago. He shouldn’t be due for at least another week!”

“ _I know that. You know that. That thief knows that,”_ Nakamori’s voice growled over the lie. “ _I think this is just another attempt to taunt me in this childish game of his, but I’ll show him! If he wants to send me a notice well before time, I’m going to make every minute count! But to do that…”_

“You need to figure out the target,” Conan finished, catching on quick. “Is that why you came to me so quickly? Usually, you try to keep me out of this.”

There was a strained silence. _“Kid, I’ll be honest with you. I don’t like involving children in police matters. But you are leagues above me in riddle solving and this notice… the extra time… it feels off. Something is up with KID. It feels like, if I don’t catch him this time, he’ll slip out of my hands for good.”_

Conan remembered the deal cut between KID and the Dimensional Witch. Nakamori’s gut feeling might not be as far off as he thought.

“Okay. Send me a copy. I’ll try to get back to you as soon as possible.”

_“You better not spread it around to all your friends. This is official police information!_ ” But the chime on Conan’s phone signaled that he’d already received an email with either a scanned copy or a typed version. Nakamori was really desperate this time.

“I know, Nakamori-keibu. Shinichi-nii-san taught me all about that stuff!” Conan said, falling back on his childish mannerisms. Nakamori grumbled and hung up with a perfunctory good-bye.

Conan wasted no time to pull up the email sent and inspected the heist notice. His brain itched to read the words, figure out their meanings and trap that thief once and for all.

“Conan-kun! Your breakfast is getting cold! If you don’t hurry up, you’ll be late!”

“Yes, Ran-nee-chan!”

He supposed the notice could wait until after breakfast…

*             *             *             *             *

Aoko felt like a terrible friend.

She and Kaito had grown apart in the last year or so, both busy with what life had thrown at them, but they still met up at her house. She still cooked dinner and some breakfasts for him. She hadn’t thought much of the decrease in his magic tricks or the way he didn’t pull pranks as often. She thought it was a sign of him growing up.

She didn’t realize how wrong she was until Hakuba pointed it out.

“He’s been distant lately, even by Kuroba’s standards,” Hakuba said, a concerned furrow to his brow. “He takes longer to answer and sometimes. He’ll just stop in the middle of what he’s doing and stare at his hands. It’s… it’s not like him.”

Aoko frowned and looked to her childhood friend with worry. She couldn’t think of any cause off the top of her head. He seemed to be doing fine, grade-wise and he hadn’t complained of an illness. His home life was the same; his mother abroad and his father…

It had hit her then, the cause.

“The anniversary of his father’s death,” she said quietly. “It’s next weekend. He always gets sadder around this time of year.”

“His father?” Hakuba asked, surprised. “I didn’t realize…”

She smiled with an old sorrow. “Most don’t.”

That had been it where Hakuba was concerned, but Aoko couldn’t help feeling like she had let Kaito down. They were friends since forever. She should have known, should have remembered!

There was time to fix this though.

She cornered him at lunch time. Hands fidgeting in the hem of her shirt, she spoke. “Kaito, Aoko knows that… next weekend… it’ll be hard.”

Kaito stiffened and turned a nervous smile on her. It was painfully fake, but she was used to that, to Kaito hiding his true feelings. It wasn’t as good as his normal attempts, but that could be chalked up to the time of year, so she just pressed on.

“If Kaito needs company, just call Aoko, okay?” She twisted her fingers together behind her back. “Aoko doesn’t mind. She doesn’t have anything on that Saturday.”

Kaito’s smile turned to a frown, most likely disturbed that she had caught on to his façade. He hated it when she saw through him. She knew that. “Okay. I’ll… keep that in mind, Aoko.”

Aoko grinned and nodded to herself, friendly obligation fulfilled. She turned and skipped back to her desk. Whether Kaito asked her or not, he at least knew she cared.

She didn’t see him google “April 19 important?” on his tablet.

*             *             *             *             *

It was the lunch break and Conan knew he shouldn’t be looking at the heist notice in the middle of school where his nosy ‘friends’ could peak over his shoulder, but he couldn’t let the curiosity burn in him any longer. It had been a day but he hadn’t been able to crack the code… yet. He had the time, but the target and place were escaping him. He _needed_ to know.

Making sure that the Shounen Tantei-dan were deeply caught in conversation, he pulled up the email from the previous morning.

_Born of two, left alone_

_To grow as cold as stone,_

_When the light has died_

_And darkness thrived,_

_I shall come for you alone._

_-Kaitou KID_

‘Light has died’ meant long after sunset, but the target’s name escaped him. No wonder Nakamori was having a hard time with this. There didn’t appear to be enough information here!

What was born of two things but left alone? How could it be alone? The two things left, but they didn’t stop _being_ …?

Or did they?

Conan sucked in a breath. Children. Born of two parents. When the parents are gone-!

They become orphans.

But he didn’t recall any significant gems referring to orphans or anything of the sort in the news. Maybe that wasn’t the answer?

“Oi, Haibara…” Conan nudged her, keeping his voice as low as possible to avoid detection of the Shounen Tantei-dan. “Have there been any new exhibits lately? Ones that opened recently with a large jewel collection?”

“There was one last week that opened with a theme of Roman gods,” Haibara said, pulling out her own phone to look it up.

Roman gods… they had a theme of children in their stories, but… usually the children had at least one parent still there for them. So that wasn’t what he was looking for.

“Oh, it looks like there’s a new exhibit opening today,” Haibara noted with surprise. She liked going to museums and looking at the jewelry collections almost as much as she liked her new designer purses. He could see another museum visit in store for Agasa in the near future.

“Do they have a list of the exhibited items?” Conan peered over her shoulder.

“Sure.” She brought up the page with little prompting.

_Milky Way Opal… Andromeda Sapphire… Black Cat’s Eye Galaxy…_

There.

Orphan… the _Orphaned Star._

Stars –a bright ball of light, but when that light died out, darkness consumed it in a black hole. Their own sun was a star too, so both time and target was hinted in Lines 3 and 4.

The _Orphaned Star_ , a burst of quartz trapped in obsidian, white light choked by dark matter, beautiful as it was sad.

He had to tell the inspector, but…

It wasn’t like KID’s normal targets. It wasn’t cut. It wasn’t precious minerals. It wasn’t even very big as far as gems went. So why…?

“What are you looking at, Conan-kun?” Ayumi asked, leaning over Haibara’s other shoulder. “Oooh! A new museum exhibit!”

“There is?” Mitsuhiko leaned over Conan’s head to look. “There is! We should get Agasa-san to take us!”

“Yeah! And we can try the food stalls along the way too!” Genta added, already planning his meals during the trip.

Conan just rolled his eyes and put his phone away. He could call the inspector after class ended.

*             *             *             *             *

The calendar stared accusingly at him when Kaito returned home.

His father’s death day.

Kaito had forgotten his father’s death day, the anniversary of the terrible accident ( _murder_ ) that had taken his father’s life, left a void that could only be concealed by a pure white cape, a constant shadow on his path. The day he had planned his heist on –the day written on the notice already gone out.

He thought about cancelling the heist, or at the very least postponing it, but… it was fitting, wasn’t it?

On the day his father had been murdered by those _crows_ , Kaito would destroy the thing they sought above all. KID would achieve his goal and his father could truly rest in peace.

He wouldn’t cancel the heist, but… he would get flowers in apology for big plans on such a day.

He had a feeling his father would understand.

*             *             *             *             *

It required new weekly passes and several rides on the subway, but they managed to narrow down the search to a single museum. After making a pit stop at every food stall along the way (Mokona insisted), they stood before the building with a sense of success scattered amongst them.

“I got us admission inside,” Okiya said, handing out long slips of paper. They copied him when he wrapped it around his wrist and pressed the sticky end along its length. “These will be good all day, so if you want to come and go, you can, but tomorrow, they won’t get you in.”

“Why is your world so focused on timed passes?” Kurogane growled. “Just make everything free for everyone.”

“Ah, but admission is what keeps museum’s like this in nice condition. Without money, the building would fall into disrepair,” Okiya explained.

“Then have the emperor pay for it. Museums have national treasures, right? Then the emperor should handle maintenance.”

“That would require the government to move funds from other projects or raise taxes.” Okiya frowned. “And if you force people to pay taxes on something they never get to see, you have a very angry populace on your hands.”

“Tch!” Kurogane scowled and crossed his arms, but didn’t continue to argue.

“Anyway, you’re free to look around, but please meet back here by three o’clock.” Okiya pointed to the bottom step they stood on. “And please, don’t touch the exhibits. They are all alarmed, so if you attempt to, guards will escort you out. Since you don’t have actual ID, that would be very bad for you.”

The group nodded and dispersed. Kurogane took off to the historical section while Fai wandered over to the fine arts. Syaoran tagged along behind Sakura along with Okiya. Syaoran looked through the pamphlet the museum provided as Sakura was directed by Mokona. Nowhere did it list a feather of any kind –it must have changed forms in this world.

“Through there! Through there!” Mokona pointed excitedly. “Mokona feels it really strong!”

They found themselves in an exhibit from some place called Europe. The room held a multitude of gemstones and jewelry. Syaoran hadn’t seen such finery in one place in all his life –not even the King’s treasury had such precious stones!

“It’s close! It’s close!” Mokona wiggled in Sakura’s arms, excited. They walked a slow circle around the exhibit, trying not to draw attention to themselves as they checked each gem. Finally, Mokona’s eyes shot open. “There! That one!”

The rabbit pointed a paw forward at a small, seemingly normal gemstone. Although, Syaoran wasn’t sure gems formed like this normally. There was a milky white mineral in the middle, surrounded by dozens of black glass spikes in a chaotic array. It reminded him of an explosion of great magnitude, like a dying star.

It seemed _right…_ and also completely out of his reach.

“I was afraid of this,” Okiya said, chin on his knuckles. “If it were just an ordinary object, we would have no trouble obtaining it, but an item of the exhibit is something else entirely.”

“Can we just tell them it’s mine?” Sakura asked. “The feather is, after all. And I would only need it long enough to get the feather out.”

“I’m afraid not.” Okiya crossed his arms. “This exhibit has been traveling for years. Even if the stone was not bought legally, you’d have to prove you are the rightful owner and doing so without even a valid ID…?”

Sakura looked disheartened.

“So… we’ll have to obtain it some other way.” Syaoran stared hard at the gem, feeling the way Okiya’s eyes narrowed on him.

“I certainly hope you aren’t suggesting that you _steal_ it.” Okiya looked over his glasses at the boy.

“Syaoran would never do something like that, right Syaoran?” Sakura looked to him.

Syaoran resolutely didn’t say a word.

She shot Okiya a worried look. Okiya sighed and scratched at his neck. “Let’s head back to the meeting place. The exhibit will be here for some time. I’m sure we can request a private viewing or something. The Kudous might be able to help, but for now, we know where it is and that it’s not going anywhere.”

Syaoran stared at the gem for a long moment before nodding and following the two towards the entrance. His fingers itched at his side.

*             *             *             *             *

“Nakamori-keibu,” Conan greeted when the inspector picked up.

“ _KID Killer,_ ” Nakamori returned. “ _Did you figure it out?”_

“Yes, and I can see why you had so much trouble.” Conan glanced over where the Shounen Tantei-dan were kicking a ball around, waiting for him to finish talking with his ‘Nee-chan’. “The target isn’t like KID’s other ones. It’s an outlier.”

_“Which just makes this odd feeling worse._ ” Nakamori groaned, sounding as if he had dragged a hand down his face. “ _Well? What is it?”_

“A new exhibit, opened today at the Tokyo Museum of Fine Art, Craftsmanship, and History,” Conan listed off. “Called the _Orphaned Star_. As far as I can tell, KID will strike long after sunset, though the note didn’t specify anything other than that.”

_“We’ll go ahead and set up some countermeasures anyway. Something else could turn up in the meantime…”_ Nakamori let out a long sigh. _“I really don’t like this. It’s just… it’s not like him!”_

Conan couldn’t help but agree.

*             *             *             *             *

Kurogane and Fai were waiting for them, having checked over their sections and found nothing. Fai was delighted to hear they found Sakura’s feather, but Kurogane was wary.

“It’s like taking from the emperor’s vault.” Kurogane leaned against an entry pillar. “It can be done, but you won’t like the consequences.”

He and Syaoran shared a resolved look though. Whatever Syaoran decided, Kurogane was in.

“I think we should follow Okiya-san’s advice before we do anything too drastic,” Fai chimed in. “There’s no sense in making more trouble than we need to. And if the Kudous really are so influential, I’m sure Conan could help us convince them.”

“That may have to wait,” Okiya commented as he watched a police van pull up and a multitude of members in riot gear file out. He pointed to the men. “Those are members of the KID taskforce. Seeing them here means that this must be the place of his next target. Trying to do anything anytime soon will just put you in a bad position.”

Syaoran cursed his luck.

The group fell silent in thought.

“For now, let’s return and look at our options. Conan-kun should be finished with school soon. We can talk with him then,” Okiya suggested. The group eventually obeyed and followed him away, tense with their goal so close at hand.

A pair of dark, indigo eyes watched them leave.

*             *             *             *             *

It was there, the gem _they_ sought, the jewel his father died for – _Pandora_. He could see it from the entrance to the gallery room. Sitting innocuously against the far wall. It was so close. He could almost taste it. He wanted to see it, wanted to hold it in his hands, wanted to display it beneath the moonlight and watch the color turn. He wanted to step closer, to be nearer to the object of his desire and revenge…

But he didn’t dare step into the room.

He knew, if he did, this feeling, this desire, this all-consuming _need_ would overtake him. He wouldn’t be able to stop himself from snatching up the gem right there in front of dozens of pedestrian eyes and KID Taskforce members. Years of heists and careful planning to keep his identity would be wasted.

His father would be ashamed.

So he didn’t take that fateful step forward. Instead, he took one more second’s glance, then took a step _away_ from the display… then another… and another… and another _and another and another_ until he was out of the gallery and the museum in its entirety. It wasn’t until he was on the front steps of the museum that he felt he could finally breathe, some strange noose around his neck loosened its hold.

His hands shook as he walked away. Instinctively, he shoved them into his pockets.

He would retrieve his desire in due time. His bargain with the witch guaranteed it and Akako had only supported the magical claim. He would finally achieve his goal after all these years and KID would finally be done.

For now, he would wait. He would plan. He would… buy flowers.

Right, he needed to pick up flowers… why did he need those again?

*             *             *             *             *

Conan had just escaped the Shounen Tantei-dan for the day only to get a text from Okiya-san. It seemed pretty urgent by the man’s words, but he wouldn’t tell Conan just what was going on. Only that Conan had to come by in person, _as soon as possible_.

So Conan had walked Haibara home and then parted to head towards his old house. He had just opened the door and called out a greeting when—!

_A girl, Ran, waiting in the square of the Clock Tower, looking more and more upset as the clock’s hands moved. He approached, calling out—_

Conan’s greeting cut off in a choked cry. His head _ached_ as image after image flashed before his eyes. Some, he could make out, but others were just a blur of colors and shapes.

_—insults as the blonde Sherlock cosplayer insisted that he was KID. Who did he think he was? Accusing him of—_

“Conan-kun? What is it? What’s wrong?!”

He gasped, unable to respond as the image flew by so fast it gave him whiplash. He felt hands on him

_—being KID? She had only been here a month. Not even! How did she know he was KID? His performance was flawless! There was no way she could know! She was nothing more than a weird girl at school! How could she see through—_

A scream bubbled up his throat, but Conan held it back. He had to keep calm, he had to keep it in. He had to keep—!

_—his Poker Face. No one could know. No one could know his pain, his sorrow, his lies. No one could know that his father had been—!_

As suddenly as the onslaught started, it stopped.

Or, at least, it seemed like a short time to him. When he opened his eyes, it was another matter entirely.

He found himself on the living room couch, Sakura and Okiya tending to him as Mokona watched on, frown on its chubby cheeks. He licked his lips, found them dry, and spied a cup of water just within reach. He rose a grasping hand, a motion not lost on Okiya or Sakura.

“Conan-kun!” Sakura fell to her knees by his side. “Are you okay? You just collapsed on us and we weren’t sure what to do!”

“I’m sorry,” Conan said guiltily, already trying to find an excuse for his sudden ill turn. He hadn’t prepared for something like this. This had never happened before. All the other memories were easy, so he didn’t think he’d need an excuse-!

“Mokona told us of your deal with Yuko,” Okiya stated, arms crossed in disapproval. “Was it the memories? Does this happen often?”

Well… at least it saved him an explanation.

“Memories, yes, but… normally, it’s like a dream. I’m awake one minute, then remembering the next, and awake again. There’s no warning that I know of…” Conan remembered his close call and Genta’s rescue with a shudder. “But what happened this time… it wasn’t normal. Not in the least.”

“What happened?”

“It was… like a rush of memories, all at once, falling over each other, interrupting each other, all jockeying to find their place.” Conan stared down at his hands, at the ring now prominently displayed on its chain. When had it fallen out of his shirt? Did Okiya do that? Examining the physical representation of the witch’s deal?

“That sounds like when a feather is returned to me,” Sakura said quietly, recognition in her eyes. “It’s a lot of memories at once. Usually, I’m out for half a day or more as they settle. It’s gotten better, but…”

Adrenaline shot through him.

“How long was I out?” Conan demanded. “Did Ran-nee-chan call? Where are the others?”

“You were only out for an hour or so. I called Mouri-san to tell her you’d be back after dinner. Fai, Kurogane, and Syaoran are all making plans.” Okiya canted his hip. “Do you know what brought on this massive download? You said it wasn’t normal.”

“I don’t know for sure… but I can take a good guess.” Conan’s lips twisted in displeasure. “KID came close to his target… but walked away.”

“That’s what you think?” Okiya’s eyebrows rose.

“It makes sense with what the witch had said. For every step he took closer to his goal, KID would lose a memory and I would gain it.” Conan’s fingers can up to fiddle with the ring. Most of the time, it was under his shirt, just a small, cold reminder in the middle of his chest. With it laying out in the open, it was all too easy to toy with it in a nervous moment. “If he took many steps at once, it would make sense I get many memories at once.”

“Then… does that mean he already took what he wanted?” Okiya frowned. “Usually, he waits for a heist, doesn’t he?”

“He does. And he hasn’t yet.” Conan put a hand to his temple. “There are memories still missing. I don’t have a better explanation for the feeling other than there’s just something that should be there but _isn’t_. He doesn’t have it yet. He didn’t take it.”

“… I don’t like this,” Okiya said sternly. “I don’t like that a witch made a deal with a child, even one as smart as you. It doesn’t sit right.”

“Well, you’ll have to live with it. What’s done is done. I know what I’m doing,” Conan said, dropping the ring to his chest. “Now, what’s this about ‘making plans’?”

*             *             *             *             *

Kaito had ordered the flowers and scheduled them for delivery the day before his heist. He wasn’t sure what they were _for_ , but he made sure that he had them just in case. Did he need them for his trick? Or was it for someone else? Was it a some _one_ or a some _thing_?

His head had been so foggy lately, so disconnected. It both annoyed him and scared him. What if it interfered with his heist? What if he messed up a trick because of this or he triggered a trap because of he couldn’t remember where he had placed them? What if he was _caught_ —!?

He took a deep breath.

It would be all right. He would pull the heist, get the gem and then…

Then what? What was he supposed to do with it?

Kaito stopped in his tracks, right in the middle of the sidewalk. People bumped into him from his sudden halt, throwing weird looks back before they continued on.

Why did he want that jewel? Why did he want any gems at all? Why did he steal? Why was Kaitou KID a thing?

His breath came unevenly as his lungs began to ache and his throat closed up. He ducked into an alley, out of sight.

“P-Poker… poker…” he tried to tell himself. “Po-!”

Poker what?

“Just breathe,” he told himself instead. “Breathe!”

He went to bury his face in his hands, but the gleam of a certain ring caught his eye.

Right. That was his price: forgetting.

_In installments_ , she had said, _step-by-step until you have what you desire in hand._

They weren’t all gone, not yet. He took a breath and searched.

Why did he steal jewels? Because that’s what KID did.

Why did KID hunt jewels? Because there was one he needed to find.

What one was that? That was…

Pandora.

Everything came back.

The dark night, the brush with death, his first look at those _people_ who took his father from him, the pathetic search for _immortality_ —!

_“Listen, I’ll tell you, right here, right now. This bandit KID will certainly find the Pandora gem before you do. And I’ll destroy it into pieces! You have my word!”_

Destroy it. He had to destroy it. If he had it in hand, it wouldn’t matter if he couldn’t remember why he wanted it. If he forgot everything else, if he remembered nothing by the end but that one memory, that one thought, Kaito would be okay.

Because at least he would remember that Pandora needed to be destroyed.

Clinging to that thought, Kaito took another deep breath. “Just breathe. Hold it in. Hide it. Don’t let them know the cards in your hands.”

Then he got up, dusted himself off and continued on. He had to.

The heist wouldn’t prepare itself after all.

… Who did he go to for that again?

**_(Destroy it.)_ **

*             *             *             *             *

“I’m just saying that we should look at other options before we plan to take on an already alerted police system about a theft in the same museum,” Fai said quietly, maintaining a calm despite Kurogane’s increasingly dark looks.

“And _I’m_ saying that we need a backup plan if being nice doesn’t work!” Kurogane growled.

“We don’t even know if this gem really is Sakura’s feather or if it just has significant power on its own.” Fai pursed his lips. “It has happened before you know. I see no sense in getting us arrested because of impatience.”

“I’ll show you impatience!”

“That’s KID’s target,” Conan said suddenly, voice grim.

“Huh?” Fai looked down at him where the boy had just walked in, followed by Okiya and Sakura. “Conan-kun! Are you all right?”

“I’m fine. KID always sends a notice with the time, place and target,” Conan said, laying out his phone so that everyone could see the notice he had puzzled out. “He’s after the _Orphaned Star_ , the gem Okiya-san says Mokona pinpointed as Sakura’s feather.”

“Possible feather,” Fai corrected. Kurogane’s scowl deepened.

“What do we do?” Sakura asked, worried. Her hands fisted in her dress. “If he steals the gem first…”

“KID is known for returning the things he steals.” Conan pointed out before a thought crossed his mind. “Although… the deal he made with the witch was to find that which he desired. In the past, he’s said the gem he had stolen was not the one he was looking for. If this one is…”

“If is it?” Syaoran’s gaze grew hard. “What then?”

“I…” Conan searched his memories, _KID’s_ memories, but found them empty of what KID planned to _do_ with the gem once he had it. Those memories simply weren’t there. It left Conan bewildered. “I don’t know…”

“We can’t afford to lose Sakura’s feather to him, even if we aren’t sure it is one,” Kurogane decided. “That’s why we need a plan-!”

“And I’m telling you, attempting to steal it with all those Police around is a losing bet-!”

Conan opened his mouth to add his own opinion to the ongoing argument when—

_—fire and explosions. A crash that wasn’t supposed to happen, an accident not meant to be. He knew, his was sure-! His father had checked the entire trick, with his mom and his father’s assistant and—!_

_This wasn’t supposed to happen! This wasn’t real!_

_His father couldn’t be…_

Conan came back to himself with tears in his eyes, a sudden understanding of the thief that left him reeling.

He had thought the memories were of tricks and spotlights and the thrill of the chase. He thought the thief’s drive had been a culmination of many things over many years, but he was wrong. KID would never be so simple.

No, his drive was…

“Why is Conan-kun crying?” Sakura asked, kneeling down by him.

Suddenly, everyone’s attention was on him; their argument fallen silent. So many eyes, so many prying gazes. He couldn’t let them know, couldn’t let them see. He had to keep his Poker Fa-!

No. That wasn’t him. _That wasn’t him_!

“Was it another memory?” Okiya asked, coming up on his other side.

“I… I—!” Conan backed away all of the piercing stares. Mokona tilted its head and, like a signal, Conan took off, out the hall and up the stairs and into his bedroom. He heard people call after him, but no footsteps followed. Some small part of him sighed in relief.

In his room, he hid in the closet, something he used to do back when he was a child the first time around. His mother had liked to dress him up and take him to different events. Shinichi hadn’t liked it. The closet had quickly become a nice, quiet place, where she wouldn’t find him until it was long after time for them to go.

His father found him within minutes, but never exposed his secret place. He had been thankful then.

He returned to it now.

He curled up in the back corner, arms around his tiny knees as he shook with the realization of KID’s drive, his childhood, his… _everything_. Conan wasn’t just taking memories, he was taking pieces of _KID_ , stealing them like the thief stole gems, except there was no way he could return them. The very thought made his stomach turn.

“Conan-kun?” The soft voice startled him, making him jerk his head up. It was Mokona. “Mokona didn’t mean to startle you. Is Conan-kun crying?”

He touched his cheek to find it wet. Ah, apparently he was.

“What made Conan-kun sad?” Mokona asked, ears twitching nervously. “Was it because we were fighting?”

“No, I… I just saw something really painful and I…” Conan scrubbed at his eyes, but the tears didn’t stop.

Mokona cocked his entire body to the side, not understanding.

“Mokona…” Conan started, wetly. “Yuko… Can I…?”

Without another word, the rabbit called up the dimensional witch.

“Yes?” she greeted, smoke pipe between her lips.

“Did you know?” he asked through harsh breaths. He reached out to wrap his arms around the plush rabbit. “Did you know what he-?”

“As I said before,” she said quietly. “Everything happens because it was meant to.”

“You knew! You did!” he shouted, tears streaming down his face as he glared at her image. “You knew he would forget about his father! His _father_ of all people!”

Yuko waited through the labored pants. “If you knew at the time, would it have changed your decision?”

“Of course it would!” Conan shouted again as the agony in his chest overflowed. “I would have chosen not to! I would’ve never stolen-!”

“But you didn’t steal,” she said. “KID gave those memories freely. If you did not take them, they would be lost to the void.”

Conan’s protests devolved into sobs because _it wasn’t fair!_ KID lost his father once before! Why did he have to lose him a second time? And not even _know_!

“Can I change my wish?” Conan asked, defeated.

She frowned. “You may… but the payment has changed.”

“Of course,” he spat. “To what?”

“His memories of you,” she said and Conan felt his heart lurch. “The first meeting and every one since. His trust in you, the challenge he feels, the very name he calls you. It will be taken from him.”

“Hasn’t he lost enough?!” Conan demanded, standing abruptly and tumbling Mokona off his lap. “He gave up everything! _Everything!_ He gave up his school life! He gave up his _best friend_! He gave up every memory of his _own father_! Why do you demand more of him? Why do you take away from _him_ for _me_ , someone he isn’t even _close to_!?”

“You are closer to him than you think,” she said vaguely. “So? Do we have a deal?”

“ _Fuck you!_ ” he shouted before turning to storm away. The too-big ring on the chain around his neck bounced against his chest. He tried to blame the pounding pain in his heart on that.

He wasn’t very convincing.

He ran down the hall and to his parents’ room. He threw open the balcony doors, yanked the necklace over his head and lifted it high.

It would be so simple to throw it away. To be free of it, to be done with KID’s sorrow and only worry about himself.

It would be so easy.

His fist tightened around the ring as he found himself unable to do it –unable to throw away such painful memories, such deep-rooted sorrow. It wasn’t his, he didn’t need to feel this-!

But it wasn’t KID’s either, not anymore.

The memories belonged to no one. Without KID, they held no meaning. Without Conan, they held no home. Without him, this sorrow, the fond memories, the memories of Kuroba Toichi –father and husband, would disappear. Without him, Kaito would never know what he lost, wouldn’t know who taught him his first magic trick or how to play to the audience.

He wouldn’t know the day of his father’s death or anything about the man that played such an influential part in his left.

All because of a stupid _price_.

So he didn’t throw the ring away. He didn’t cast aside the pain and sadness. Instead, he curled his hand close to his chest, sank to his knees and _cried_.

He cried for a man he never knew and knew all too well. He cried for a childhood lost twice-over. He cried for a thief that, in all the stolen memories, never once cried for himself.

Conan cried, because it was the only thing he could do.

*             *             *             *             *

Kaito’s phone chirped with a text message. Curious, he opened his messenger app and took a look.

**_Assistant_ ** _: Bocchama, I haven’t seen you since we last talked. I know you must be busy with the Inspector’s latest plans, so I have attached an image of the trap location and mechanics. This message will delete itself in five minutes after being opened, so please memorize carefully._

**_Assistant:_ ** _Don’t get caught._

The image contained traps Kaito was familiar with and the museum of his heist, but it left him wondering: who was this ‘Assistant’?

He pondered replying to the text but ultimately decided against it. After all, they did their part, assisting him. He would thank them later, after the success of the heist.

Right now, he needed to know what Nakamori was doing with all those crates.

**_(Destroy it)_ **

*             *             *             *             *

Nakamori surveyed his work thus far and grinned to himself.

The plan was remarkably simple, actually a ploy he’d taken from KID himself. Back when that other inspector thought that he could steal Nakamori’s place as Head of the KID Taskforce, the thief had shown him up by scattering imposter gems all over the princess’ room. It had backfired on KID because that particular gem had a special way of fracturing light, but this gem had no such thing. Its milky center didn’t refract so much as emit and the black obsidian took in light altogether.

It was a simple plan, hide a needle in the haystack, but Nakamori was sure it would work. It had to.

He could feel it in his bones.

He would get no other chance.

“All right men!” he yelled to the group. “Let’s get these all set up!”

“Yah!” the men cheered and set to work.

*             *             *             *             *

Okiya stared at the calendar grimly as the day of KID’s heist grew closer.

The group of travelers were growing frantic with plans. Once KID’s target was made known to the public, there was no way the Taskforce would allow a private viewing, not even for the Kudous. The Taskforce being on site also proved problematic as it meant any thoughts of thievery were dashed before they were attempted. The group was grasping at straws.

Okiya had something else on his mind.

Edogawa Conan had been subdued since that night the previous week. Okiya didn’t know what he had seen and the boy refused to tell him, but whatever it was, it hurt the boy deeply. Normally, a heist was a great challenge to the boy, something Conan spoke of for days leading up to the event. Now, he just watched the news in pained silence and gripped tightly at the ring chained around his neck.

Okiya stood by what he had said before. He didn’t like the deal Conan had struck.

He wanted to do something about it.

“Mokona-chan?” Okiya asked quietly. The others in the group were planning in the library. Mokona had snuck away for a snack and just happened to run into Okiya on its way.

“Yes, Okiya-san?” Mokona beamed up at him, ears lifted to listen.

“Do you think I could meet Yuko-sama?” Okiya knelt to give Mokona a cookie. “Everyone talks about her a lot. I kind of feel left out.”

“Mmm… Mokona will try,” Mokona replied around a bite of cookie. “Sometimes, she doesn’t like to pick up for people who aren’t customers.”

“I have something I would like to discuss with her. A deal,” he said.

“Oh! In that case!” Mokona hopped onto the counter and flashed its gem. Moments later, an image came about of a dark-haired woman with lunch in hand and secrets in her eyes.

_“Mokona, what’s this about?”_ she griped. _“I’m in the middle of lunch!”_

“Okiya-san wanted to talk to Yuko-sama about a deal!” Mokona waved its arms excitedly. “Mokona thought Yuko-sama would like to know!”

_“Oh? A deal…”_ she looked over at Okiya, eyes narrowed. “ _Sorry, but I have no deal for you.”_

“You don’t even know what I wanted.” Okiya raised his eyebrow. “Or what I had to offer.”

_“You do not offer. The shop takes,”_ she said simply. “ _As for what you wanted, you wish to take that brat’s burden, but you cannot. He and KID are tightly entwined. It is a burden you simply cannot take onto yourself.”_

“But he’s only a child!” Okiya argued quietly. “He didn’t know what he was getting into.”

_“He had more idea than you do.”_ She rested her chin on her knuckles, chopsticks to her lips. “ _And he is far removed from the boy you see. Though his body is small, his mind is anything but.”_

“Just because Conan is smarter than the average child does not mean you should make deals with him!” Okiya protested.

_“I would advise you to keep your mouth shut, Akai Shuichi,”_ she said, gaze sharp. _“A price that has been paid cannot be taken back. Not even given to someone else. All bargaining much be done upfront. There are no exceptions.”_

Okiya gritted his teeth, both angered at her stubbornness and stunned at her knowledge of his identity. This was a person he had just met. She had only ever met Okiya Subaru. There was no way to know of his other face, so how…?

_“It will do you better not to argue.”_ Her gaze grew soft at his internal panic. _“After all, you will benefit from his deal as well. Soon, there will be no reason for that mask of yours, so long as you keep your mother hen tendencies to yourself.”_

With that, the call ended and her image faded.

“Sorry, Okiya-san. Looks like she couldn’t grant your wish,” Mokona said, hopping over to take an armful of cookies and then jump down and waddle back to the group. “Let Mokona know if Mokona can help again!”

“I’ll do that. Thank you, Mokona-chan,” Okiya replied as he leaned against the counter in thought.

Guess there really wasn’t anything he could do, but watch over Conan like he did Haibara. It pained him, but he would do what he must to keep them safe.

…

And he did _not_ have mother-hen tendencies, thank you very much.

*             *             *             *             *

“Your deal for the young child seems to be one sided,” Watanuki noted. “He regains his true form and gathers information on his enemy through the memories he obtains. Won’t that cause a backlash?”

“It would…” Yuko set her tea cup down. “If that were all that the deal encompassed.”

Watanuki’s eyebrows rose in interest.

“KID’s memories are not all bright and sunny. His father’s death left quite the hole in his heart. Taking his memories away is like scraping out the rot to let new tissue grow.” She nudged her tea cup, prompting her assistant to fill it. “That is what that brat must face in order to seal the deal. He must live with those painful memories for the rest of his life.”

“Doesn’t that skew it the other way then?”

“Not quite. In order for him to obtain his true form, he must take down a devious, far-reaching organization with roots deep in every major city in the world.” She smiled smugly into her cup. “A lifetime of anguish should make up for all the good he will do for the world.”

“But… then we’re back to this being one-sided!”

“Painful memories, for weeding out the thistles in the world.” She listed off. “A change of course, for the return of his body. That boy is sensitive. With KID’s memories, he will be unable to hold back from chasing the thief down, but instead of capture, they will collide. The hole in KID’s heart will yearn to be filled and that brat’s own will yearn to fill it.”

She looked over at her young apprentice with a delighted grin. “The world will be better off than it started and those two will have someone to lean on, someone who understands them in a way no other could. It is a balance the shop accepts. It is Hitsuzen.”

*             *             *             *             *

Today was the day. Everything would end today. He would get the gem.

**_(Destroy it_.)**

And Kid would be done. He wouldn’t have to plan another heist or trick or anything. He wouldn’t be chased by the police, by Hakuba, by…

Tantei-kun.

He paused in the middle of fixing his clothes. Tantei-kun, his favorite critic, his greatest friend, strictest rival, and most trustworthy ally.

It would be sad to not meet anymore. He would miss the little spitfire.

It was no use though. He needed to end this once and for all.

Finishing up his hair in the mirror, Kudou Shinichi smiled back at him, perfect except for a stylish watch. One he found sitting by… a bouquet of flowers, delivered just the day before. He frowned down at the petals. Why had he ordered flowers again? Was he planning to use them in his heist that night?

**_(Destroy it.)_ **

Scratching his head, he shrugged and stood, secreting them away on his person. He’d figure it out when he got to the grand finale. After all, he only had so long to sneak his way into the Taskforce and find the needle in the hay stack.

It appeared that the Inspector had decided to set up KID’s trick _for_ him.

*             *             *             *             *

“Your best bet in getting close to the gem is before KID disappears with it,” Conan advised as the group headed in to the museum. Nakamori saw them approaching and waved Conan over. “He’s actually quite amiable about letting people see the gems. You might be able to convince him for a short private viewing before he takes off.”

“Then we can see if the gem really is Sakura’s feather or not.” Syaoran looked to Fai and Kurogane, all of them stiff from the tension in the air.

“I need to go speak with Nakamori and get you authorized for looking around the area during a heist,” Conan said, already walking over to the Inspector. “Make sure not to stand out. If anyone asks, you’re with me, got it?”

“Why is a kid like you so respected at a crime scene?” Kurogane questioned lowly, but the boy had already left.

“The real question is,” Fai flashed the samurai a whimsical smile, “is he even a kid at all?”

*             *             *             *             *

He still didn’t know what the flowers were for, but he would find a use for them, he was sure.

Right now, he was facing another issue.

Nakamori had already enacted his plans that he had crowed about earlier that week. Instead of just one gem, there were now thousands scattered about the premises. Sure, Nakamori knew which one was the real one and, given enough time, an appraiser could find this needle in the haystack, but he only had a few hours before people got suspicious.

And Nakamori was refusing to spill to anyone, even Kudou Shinichi.

How in the world was he going to…?

His eyes a lit on the strange group of four he’d met a month ago when his deal had been struck. It was strange for them to be there, even more so that the inspector seemed to be letting them stick around when he was notoriously against such actions.

Everything about the situation said they shouldn’t be there, but… they felt right. In more ways than one.

With a confident grin, he approached them.

**_(Destroy it.)_ **

*             *             *             *             *

“There are copies of that gem scattered everywhere!” Kurogane groused as he nudged an errant copy with his foot. “Are we even sure it’s still here?”

“Mokona senses Sakura’s feather in the building,” Mokona said. “It’s definitely here.”

“That’s all well and good.” Fai cast a glance around at the guards. “But how are we supposed to find it with all these copies? Not to mention the guards around…”

Kuro frowned. “The kid and I could cause a distraction…”

“Or I could offer my assistance so you don’t end up in jail.” The voice belonged to a man they had seen only in pictures around the mansion they had been living in. The dark-haired teenager offered them a quaint smile as he put his hands in his pockets. “Kudou Shinichi, pleasure to meet you.”

*             *             *             *             *

_[It’s been a long time, Kaito. I’m going to teach you what it takes to be a magician. First off, do you know the most important part of being a magician?]_

**_(Destroy it.)_ **

“Is it really okay to ignore the Inspector’s orders? We aren’t supposed to be here, right?”

“It’s fine, it’s fine,” he insisted. “I help out at these things from time to time. I have a little leeway with Nakamori-keibu.”

“I’m really not sure…”

“You’re here to see the gem before KID takes it, right?” he posed the question with barely a look back. That look caught the shocked faces of his followers. “Conan-kun told me that you had a special interest in it. As a detective, I don’t have much authority with the museum staff, but if my skills cannot help, I can at least make sure you can search unimpeded.”

There was silence behind him, but the footsteps didn’t waver.

“Thank you,” the green-eyed teen said. “Really, it means a lot.”

_[Listen well, Kaito. This is important. You must never spoil your tricks ahead of time. This is one of the three principles set out by the famous Thurston.]_

**_(Destroy it.)_ **

“Don’t mention it.” He smiled. “Now, left, right or center?”

*             *             *             *             *

It had been a hard pressed task, but Conan managed to convince Nakamori to allow the traveling group to patrol the museum with him. Conan had gone back to deliver the good news…

Only to find the four people gone.

“Where did the group I came with go?” Conan asked, looking around. The travelers had made a point of sticking close to him from the beginning. It wasn’t like them to just up and wander off.

“Oh, those?” a nearby officer asked. “Kudou-kun came by and offered to show them around before the big time. They should be touring the museum right now.”

“Kudou-?!” Conan choked, then raced away. He started into a hall, then shook his head. No, he wouldn’t catch them that way. Backtracking, he slipped into the surveillance room. Before he ran off, he needed to know where he was running.

*             *             *             *             *

_[Listen, Kaito, and listen well. As the famous magician Al Baker always used to say, “don’t run when nobody is chasing you.”]_

**_(Destroy it.)_ **

“Mokona says left!”

“Left is it then.”

“Um… then a right!”

“Okay.”

“Then… forward!”

“We can’t go forward. We’re at a T-intersection.”

“Oh… left then!”

He looked back. “You sure you know where we’re going?”

“Mokona knows! Mokona feels it!”

“All right, left it is.”

_[A good magician never wavers at the prospect of mistrust. Trust in your skills and nothing else. Do you understand, Kaito?]_

**_(Destroy it.)_ **

*             *             *             *             *

Conan panted as he turned down another maze-like corridor. He’d watched for a few minutes as the group walked, seemingly led by the rabbit Mokona. He’d seen them stop at a T in the halls, the rabbit pointing forward before they went to the right. He knew their final destination, the room with the real _Orphaned Star_ —still in its original position in the exhibit.

He just had to get there first.

*             *             *             *             *

“Pyan!” Mokona’s eyes went wide when they entered the room. “It’s here! It’s in here!”

_[Given undivided concentration to your fingertips. Use every trick you know—]_

**_Destroy it._ **

“Great,” Kurogane said, giving the room a disgruntled scowl. “But which one?”

_Orphaned Star_ replicas cluttered on every surface, only one of them was real.

 “Hm…” Mokona leapt out of Sakura’s arms to bound around the room, examining each star. The group followed as he made his way through the displays. Finally, he proclaimed. “This one!”

_[On top of that, never lose your smile or your dignity—]_

**_Destroy it._ **

“So now what?” Kurogane crossed his arms. “How do we get the feather out? Smash it?”

Mokona lifted the jewel to examine it. Windows behind him allowed light to drift in —moonlight that, once it hit the obsidian and quartz, caused the clouded center to seep a crimson red.

_[So if you aim for something with conviction, I have faith that you’ll reach it—]_

**_Destroy it._ **

“Can you smash obsidian? Isn’t it right under diamond in terms of strength?”

“Well, we have to do something-!”

“Stop!” The shout rang throughout the room. Conan panted at the entrance to the exhibit. “That’s not Kudou Shinichi!”

The group didn’t hesitate to draw their weapons against him. He stayed perfectly still, hands still in his pocket, toying with the ring on his finger.

_[The place where you come in contact with the audience is the scene of a duel. Never be arrogant. Never underestimate them—]_

**_Destroy it._ **

“I don’t sense a spell,” the mage said. “No magic at all.”

“Who are you?” Syaoran demanded.

“Give it up, KID.” Conan stalked forward, hands in his pockets. “We’ve caught you.”

_[Kaito, finally I want to leave you with these words—]_

**_Destroy it._ **

He grinned. “Sorry, Tantei-kun, but my victory at this encounter has been insured since the beginning.”

The meaning behind his words caught up to them, giving him the moment of hesitation he needed to snatch the _Orphaned Star_ from Mokona’s grasp and-!

_[“If you can imagine it, you can create it.”—]_

**Destroy it.**

**Destroy it.** **Destroy it. DESTROY-!**

-hurl it to the floor.

The fragile quartz fractured first, causing fissures to spider web up the obsidian, then a heartbeat later, the entire gem shattered onto the tile floor. Shards scattered around them, flying up from the force of Kaito’s frantic throw. His fingers ached where they’d been caught in the obsidian spikes, his ring sporting a new groove after its encounter with a sharp edge.

“KID, what-?!”

“The gem!”

“Sakura’s feather!”

He stood there, staring at the broken volcanic glass, a few shards glistening on the floor like tiny stars of their own. He knew, on some unconscious level, that his goal was met, but… why?

Why did he feel so empty inside?

“KID!” Conan shook him, tugging incessantly on his sleeves. “Why did you _do that_?!”

“I…” KID blinked and looked down at the boy before his gaze was drawn back to the broken gem. “I don’t know.”

In the glow of the windows, the shards shimmered and lit up under the moonlight. The light pooled and shot upwards, hovering in the middle of the room. Concentrating, it took form and gently drifted to the floor again.

“Sakura’s feather!”

“So you did have to smash it…”

Gloved hands caught it and ushered it towards Sakura, allowing it to absorb into her. She fainted with the onslaught of memories, but Syaoran was there to catch her, like he always would be.

Conan watched with wide eyes before turning on KID. “How did you know?”

KID looked down with a confused frown. “I didn’t.”

*             *             *             *             *

“If you didn’t know, then why-!?” Conan cut off with a gasp.

_“Listen, I’ll tell you, right here, right now. This bandit KID will certainly find the Pandora gem before you do. And I’ll destroy it into pieces! You have my word!”_

“That’s it. That was your goal.” Conan looked up, eyes sorrowful and wet. “You wanted to destroy it.”

KID smiled weakly, an expression entirely unfitting in Conan’s mind. “Sorry, Tantei-kun, but I’m not feeling well. Can we postpone this?”

“…Fine.” Conan reluctantly let go of the thief’s sleeve and took a step back. “But there better be a next time. You’re not allowed to disappear on me after this. You hear me?”

Another frail smile and flurry of aqua-blue petals and then…

KID disappeared into the depths of the museum.

Conan picked up a whole flower –aqua-blue hyacinths, _begging forgiveness_.

“Idiot thief. What do you have to be forgiven for? Do you even remember?”

*             *             *             *             *

The next few days went by quickly.

Conan managed to get the group out of Nakamori’s war path for the destruction of property where the gem was concerned. Technically, that was all KID’s fault and would be added to his charges, should they ever catch him.

Conan figured they wouldn’t.

The only thing he dreaded explaining was the whole magic feather thing… but apparently KID or his assistant had sabotaged the security films, so all traces of magic and blinding lights had been erased.

Nakamori still scoured the campus for any signs of KID, but Conan and the rest of the group returned to the mansion in order to allow Sakura to rest before they parted on their journey to the next world. Conan spoke with Ran to let her know he was staying the night.

He saw them off the next day, dressed in the same clothes they had arrived in.

“Thank you for all your help.” Sakura bowed to the two of them and straightened with a sheepish smile. “Even though it resulted in some misfortune on your part.”

“It was added to KID’s damage count.” Conan waved them off. “With everything else he’s destroyed before, it’ll just be a drop in the bucket comparatively.”

“Good luck finding the rest of your feathers.” Okiya waved to the group.

“Oh right!” Conan reached under his shirt for the ring. He caught Mokona before the being could begin their transfer. “Mokona, does Yuko-san need this back?”

“Mmm… Nope!” Mokona patted his hand. “Keep hold of it. It’s a good souvenir!”

Conan had differing opinions, but Mokona was already stepping back to the group, unfurling ridiculously large wings and then sucking the group in Kirby-style. Honestly, if Conan hadn’t seen it, he wouldn’t believe it. He still sort of didn’t believe it right now.

Then there was a flash of light and Mokona was gone, leaving an empty yard behind.

“Well, that’s one thing set to rights.” Okiya commented, looking down at where Conan fingered the ring in thought. “What’s next?”

“Next…” Conan turned the ring over, then took hold of its chain. “Next is taking down the Black Organization, achieving my own goal, and then…”

“Then…?” Okiya prompted, but Conan didn’t reply. He just threw the chain back over his head, resolve strengthened.

_Then, find KID._

*             *             *             *             *

Conan stared down at the flashing lights as the police escorted black coats out –some in cuffs, some in body bags. Some surrendered, belief in the cause frail. Many more did not come quietly. Those who surrendered would be interrogated; this hideout torn apart in search of information. Conan had already spoken to Jodie about Haibara and a potential antidote.

It was the first break Conan had and it was only the beginning.

The Black Organization went deep into Japan’s underbelly and even further out in the world, but Conan didn’t mind. He could feel this _rightness_ in his stomach, the same feeling that drew him to this building and their first of many leads.

They would find more. Haibara would complete a permanent antidote. He would become Shinichi again.

He just knew it, could feel the certainty in his bones in a way he hadn’t since the beginning of this whole charade.

The silver ring burned beneath his shirt.

Conan knew there was something he had to do first.

Taking out his phone, he continued to watch the flashing lights below as the device rang. He brought his bowtie up to his lips as the person on the other end picked up. “Ran.”

_“Shinichi?”_ She sounded surprised, and why wouldn’t she? The last time he’d called had been two months ago and –wow, had it really been that long? _“It’s been so long since I’ve heard from you! Are you okay? Are you finished with the case?”_

“I’m fine,” he answered by rote. “The case is… bigger than I expected. We’ve made our first hit, but this only brought up more leads to follow. So many more… Ran… it’s everywhere.”

_“What is?_ ” He remained silent and she didn’t press for details, knowing the confidentiality clause from her father’s work. _“Does that mean you aren’t coming home?”_

“Not for good, not quite yet,” he confirmed. Haibara was still in the middle of testing, an antidote nowhere near complete. But it was only a matter of time now. His gut said soon. “But I’m going to have to take a break. The investigators don’t like being shown up by a high schooler.”

She laughed, then her voice turned quiet, tentative. _“So then… you’re coming home? Soon?”_

“Yeah.” He smiled into his bowtie. “Pretty soon.”

_“Then!”_ she rushed, excitement in her voice. _“What you said in London! My answer-!”_

And that’s what he was calling about.

“Ran, on this case...” He swallowed, scared of how he would inevitably mess this up, but it _needed to be done-!_ “I met someone.”

Silence on her end.

“This someone helped a lot, though they don’t know it,” he continued. “I got to know them too and they’re funny and smart and-! I am messing this up terribly-!”

_“This person_ …” she started low, voice carefully blank. _“Do you love them more than me?”_

“I love them differently than you.” He stressed, making a clear distinction. “I still love you. I will never stop loving you. I just… don’t think it was ever in a romantic sense.”

Silence again.

“You were my first friend in elementary. You were my best friend in middle school. Everyone expected us to get together in high school. I expected it. It was a natural progression.” He frowned into his tie. “But you deserve more than the expected. You deserve someone who will surprise you with roses, who will challenge you, who will smile at you in a way that leaves you breathless. You deserve a partner. I… I can’t be that person. I’m sorry.”

Silence once more, then… laughter.

Gentle, kind, in no way malicious or sad. In fact, it sounded a little… relieved?

“Ran?”

_“I’m sorry, I just…”_ She paused and a brief rush of static filled the call, as if wiping her eyes. _“I thought I would be sad, you know. Here I am, about to answer your confession, getting rejected and I’m just… relieved.”_

He frowned because it wasn’t the reaction that he had expected, but it was still… good?

_“I’m sorry, Shinichi, I know it doesn’t make sense, but you said it yourself. It was expected of us. I wanted to live up to that expectation, like my parents had, but…”_ she paused. _“They weren’t happy and I was so scared that… that we wouldn’t be either and… I didn’t want that. I want to be happy! I want you to be happy!”_

“And I want the same. For both of us,” he replied. “I get it, Ran.”

There was silence, but it wasn’t awkward at all. It was a natural lull, even if it was over the phone instead of in person.

_“You know, I think I always felt this coming,_ ” she said finally. _“It was like… there was some kind of force keeping you away every time I wanted to get close to you, to make our relationship something more. I felt it every time you called, every time you left. When I didn’t feel it this time, I knew something was different. Maybe we just weren’t meant to be?”_

Conan remembered the words of the Dimensional Witch, the price he would have had to pay for his body back, the deal he struck to help KID – _two sides of the same coin. It is Hitsuzen._

He laughed weakly. “Maybe.”

_“Anyway, I’ll see you soon, right?”_ Ran asked without leaving room for an answer. _“Make sure you bring that person along with you, the one you met? It’s my right as best friend to interrogate them!”_

“I’ll be sure to do that,” he replied, smile on his lips. His shoulders felt light, like a heavy burden had been lifted from him. He rolled them unconsciously, enjoying the ease he felt. He saw Akai down below motioning for him and turned away from the window. “They’re calling for me again, so I have to go. I’ll call you soon.”

_“You better!”_ she ordered.

He laughed as he said his goodbyes, then took off down the stairs, eager to see what leads this raid had afforded them.

*             *             *             *             *

One week later, as if to reinforce Ran’s ominous words, Haibara had a functional, permanent antidote.

“Knock yourself out,” Haibara said, dropping the pill into his hand. “I know I’m going to. I’m sleeping for a week after this whole ordeal.”

“I’ll try not to wake you,” Conan said, staring down at his palm.

This was it; this was finally it. After so many years, so many hardships, so many failed antidotes and close calls, his story had finally reached its end. _Conan’s_ story had finally reached its end.

Now, the world was waiting for Shinichi again.

And he knew exactly where he was heading first.

*             *             *             *             *

Jii was beginning to worry.

Bocchama hadn’t called after the heist or come by for his celebratory/consolatory chocolate milk shake for a successful heist but unsuccessful target.

 Jii almost worried that his Sensei’s son had been caught by the Taskforce, but were that the case, Nakamori would be crowing it from the rooftops. Instead, the media was just showing the local stories that morning. Even after the night, the heist was only a recap, like some episode in a long running show. The only outlying fact was the jewel lying broken on the museum floor –clumsy fingers the cause.

It sounded so unlike Bocchama, but Jii couldn’t get a call to go through to ask. It was like Bocchama was avoiding him.

Whatever it was, he needed to get to the bottom of it soon. It had been two weeks already, their next heist was only-!

The door opened. Jii’s eyes caught on a familiar head of hair. He straightened up, ready to greet his young charge, but… those eyes were different, observant and distant. His nose drew up in wrinkled confusion, a face Bocchama would never let Jii see.

Though they may look similar, this was not Bocchama.

“I’m sorry,” Jii called, gaining the teen’s attention. “But I don’t serve underage-!”

“Konosuke Jii, owner of the Blue Parrot bar.” The voice that answered him was cold and calculating, nothing like the easy speech of his Bocchama. “Apprentice to one Kuroba Toichi, master magician and world renowned escape artist, also known as Kaitou KID.”

Jii sucked in a startled breath. His ribs clutched at his lungs.

“A title now passed down to his son, Kuroba Kaito,” the teen continued, eyes pinning him in place. “One you continue to assist, correct?”

Jii’s jaw clenched as he breathed steadily out his nose. _Poker face, Jii-kun, or else they’ll see your tells._ “I’m sorry, but I have no idea what you’re-!”

“Do you know of a sorceress named Yuko?” the teen interrupted again, which –rude! “She goes by the title of Dimensional Witch.”

Jii felt his stomach drop to his toes. That name, that _title_ … that brought back memories of a late night at his sensei’s, discussing the trick for the next day. Memories of three pairs of eyes pouring over the plans, of him and Sensei’s wife learning of Sensei’s deal. He remembered yelling and tears on her part, silence on Sensei’s. He remembered a promise to watch out for Bocchama, no matter what.

It was where he learned that Sorceresses were a magician’s natural enemy.

“I’ll take your silence as a yes.” The teen took a seat at the bar. Instinctively, Jii went for a glass, but the teen waved him off. “Then you should know what one of her ‘deals’ is like.”

Jii froze, hand on the glass where he was placing it back. He turned with a horrified face. “No… please don’t tell me… Bocchama?”

“He made a deal,” the teen confirmed. “In order to achieve his goal, he chose to give up the memories of what drove him.”

What drove…? “Toichi-sama? He forgot Toichi-sama?”

A nod. “And now that he’s completed it, everything is gone. Toichi-san’s teachings, his performances, his family time… you… everything that finds a common point at Kuroba Toichi is gone.”

“… How do you know?” Jii wanted to believe, the teen spoke so confidently, but he wouldn’t put Bocchama in danger if this was all some elaborate tray.

“Because those memories had to go somewhere.” The teen tapped his temple. “I was in a similar situation to him, except, instead of forgetting, I had to remember.”

“Why you?” Jii frowned. “You don’t know him.”

“The witch said it was… Hitsuzen.” Here, the teen made a face. “He was always meant to forget, so I was always meant to remember. Besides that… I don’t have an answer for you.”

Jii stared hard at the teen, but the boy continued to sit calmly, prepared to wait him out. “So why are you here now?”

“Without a drive, I’m worried that KID will take a turn for the worse. Whether it has external effects or internal, I can’t say for sure.” The teen frowned at the table. “I just know that he needs someone. And since I have his memories… I figured it wouldn’t hurt to try and help him out.”

Jii ran a finger over his mustache in thought. “So why come to me? If you have all his memories, shouldn’t you be there now?”

“Ah, yeah, about that…” the teen laughed nervously. “Turns out his address is _not_ one of the things he forgot about in the whole… deal thing.”

Jii couldn’t help the bark of laughter that escaped in disbelief.

*             *             *             *             *

Kaito stared blankly at the poster of a magician plastered over his wall. It was obviously a magician he liked very much, but _who_ the magician was escaped him. Not even a name would rear its head to him.

That wasn’t all he’d forgotten about recently either.

Aoko was enraged when he didn’t say good morning to her. Kaito himself was a little concerned since people don’t tend to forget their childhood friends in a single day. Of course, he didn’t forget her entirely, just… didn’t recognize her at all.

There had been a blank space in his head, then she yelled at him and –oh. That’s what filled that void.

What didn’t come back, was how they first met, or many other childhood events where she came over to his house to play and his memories just… ended.

It was weird and scary, but he couldn’t find it in himself to feel _fear._ Almost like this was normal, _expected_ even.

That scared him even more.

His head was a nest of unconnected wires searching for their place and failing to plug in. It was maddening and headache inducing and he just wanted everything to _fix itself_ -!

The doorbell rang, prompting him to his feet.

He had no idea who was ringing his bell, but also wasn’t sure he would recognize them, even if he did. His entire sense of being was off its axis, like a solar system without a sun, a moon without its earth.

He opened the door and… found himself?

No, not himself. They looked similar, but not. Kaito frowned, the expression feeling _wrong, wrong, wrong_ on his face, but he had nothing else to fall back on. “Can I help you?”

“Kuroba Kaito?” the not-him asked.

“Yes…?”

A hand was held out to him.

Kaito instinctively went for a handshake, but the hand remained in a closed fist. Before he could ask, the thumb flicked to the side – _loosen your fingers_ –and pop! A flower grew from his fist, lush petals bright in the sun.

“Kudou Shinichi,” the teen said. “Nice to meet you.”

Kaito felt a smile creeping onto his face –and _that_ felt right. “Whoa! Are you a magician?”

“Ah, not really.” Kudou scratched at his cheek and held his other hand further, prompting Kaito to take the flower. “I’m actually a detective, though some might call me nothing but a critic.”

Those words… Kaito knew them. They were _his_.

“Tantei-kun?”

“In the flesh.” Kudou held his arms out wide as if to present himself.

Kaito stared for a long moment, because that didn’t make sense. Tantei-kun was six years old, not _sixteen_ and it had only been a few months since Kaito had seen him. There was no way the boy could grow so much unless there was _magic_ involved, like Akako —wait…“Did you wish to get taller?”

Kudou nearly tripped over nothing. “No! I didn’t wish to get taller! I’ve always been sixteen. I just… ran into some difficulty.”

But he didn’t deny the act.

“Then, what did you wish for?” Kaito cocked his head to the side. “And why are you here?”

“I’m here because my end of the deal was to remember for you,” Shinichi said, running a hand through his hair.

“So… you know about…?”

“You being Kaitou KID?” Shinichi crossed his arms. “Yes.”

“Oh.” Kaito toyed with the flower petals. Some distant part of him thought he should be scared, terrified that someone knew he was KID, but… what even was Kaitou KID? Why did it mean so much to him? “Are you here to arrest me?”

“No. I’m not.” Shinichi looked at him with eyes that knew too much, more than Kaito did at least. That thought was both scary and comforting, in a weird way.

“Okay.” Kaito sniffed at the flower he had been given.

“As for what I wished for, well… that’s a long story.”  Shinichi scratched at the back of his neck. “Mind if I come in?”

And well, Kaito didn’t see why not.

“Oh, by the way, do you mind meeting my friends later on? I told them about you and they kind of want to meet you.”

“Sure. I don’t mind.”

“To warn you, one of them kind of thinks we’re going out, so she might try to interrogate you. Just let me know and I’ll get her to back off.”

“I mean… I wouldn’t be opposed.”

“Let’s… talk about that after we get you sorted out.”

Yes, his head was a mess of mismatched wires and plugs, but… he had a feeling everything would be okay.

It just felt right.

 

 

 

Epilogue

Akako did not know when the shop appeared; she just knew that her magic had lead her there on the night of the first snow fall of the year. Even outside the barrier, she could feel the power, the _potential_ , that lay within. Eagerly, she entered and called for the keeper.

“Hello, what can I…?” the boy froze when he saw her, something Akako was used to. What she was not used to was the startled call of: “Yuko-san?”

“Akako,” she correct. “Though Koizumi is more appropriate.”

“A-apologies,” the boy replied. “You just… reminded me of someone.”

For a brief moment, she was curious, but that interest quickly died to her own desire. “This is a wish shop, correct? My magic told me so.”

Dumbstruck, the boy nodded.

“Then I have a wish,” she said, confident in herself. With this shop, there was no way she could fail to capture Kuroba’s heart –not again.

“Right this way.” The boy ushered her to a sitting room, tea brewing, as if he was expecting her. Sitting down, the boy poured the tea before getting down to business. “What is it you desire?”

“With my magic and good looks, every boy bows to me, all but one.” Akako gritted her teeth. “Kuroba Kaito has been a thorn in my side since we met. I want him to be mine, whether my lover or my slave, I do not care.”

The boy calmly took a sip of his tea before setting the cup down. “Your wish can be granted.”

Akako smiled in glee.

“But for a price.”

“Of course, I know the shop’s dues.” Akako waved away his stare. “What do you ask of me? Favors? Potions? Other magical objects?”

“Your ties to all the men that come to adore you and worship the ground you walk on,” the boy replied. At Akako’s startled look, he explained. “The one you want is tied to another. Their souls are so deeply entwined that, to break them apart, you must give up on the adoration of every other man you may ever meet.”

Akako found herself hesitating. “If I do, he will be mine?”

The boy shook his head. “If you do, he will be unbound. To bind him to you, you must give up your magic, the part of you that makes ‘you’. For, by binding him to you, you will take away from what makes ‘him’.”

“My magic?!” her eyes grew wide. That price… that was far from equal! “That’s too much! My magic has been in my bloodline for three generations thus far! It is worth far more than some boy’s affection!”

“You say this because you have never had to work for someone’s affection before,” the boy stated. “It is the price the shop demands.”

“It isn’t equal!”

“It is what is being offered,” the boy said coolly as he lifted his cup to his lips. “You can choose to pay or you can choose to leave. I will not force you to make a deal.”

Standing in a huff, Akako stormed out of the shop, furious and shaken. All of her magic to get Kuroba to look at her? All of her followers to tear him from some random stranger? It wasn’t fair! Why was _he_ the only one that she couldn’t have? Why was _he_ the one the universe decided was out of her league?

Well, she had had enough. If even the wish shop could not grant her wish, then he wasn’t worth pining over anymore.

She had never really wanted him anyway. She just hadn’t liked the obstacle that was one boy unbending to her charm. That was all.

And lately, he hadn’t been the Kuroba she knew and (not-loved) respected. He had been slow and clumsy, random people and places slipping through his fingers.

This Kuroba wasn’t worth it.

She stormed through the snow, just as angry as before, her eyes burning, but she refused to cry.

He wasn’t worth it.

(She would believe it, if she said it enough times.

He wasn’t worth it.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If there are any questions or parts you feel are missing, feel free to leave a comment down below. Like I said, this isn't my best work and will need to be edited heavily some time in the future, so if there's anything you'd like to see in an edit, please let me know.
> 
> See you next week!


	5. Fortuna's Wheel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Shinichi and Hattori make a habit of running off to do dangerous things and Kaito is the voice of reason (which never works out well). 
> 
> And there's Quirks and KID and stuff, but eh, details.
> 
> (Prompt from:  
> Corpi: *Boku no Hero Academia au
> 
> Hope you enjoy my take on this! :) )

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Detective Conan, Magic Kaito or Boku no Hero Academia, just the idea for this fic.
> 
> PS -Sorry about the late update, guys! I had this entire thing written... and then decided the Part 2, I had would work best when put together instead of as a sequel, so I had to do a little editing.
> 
> The first place it was going to stop was after Hakuba's entrance, but I decided it needed more. As such, it also ended up graduating from the Next Conan Hint series into the (See you) Next Illusion! series. 
> 
> Anyway, please enjoy!

In a world full of amazing Quirks, Shinichi couldn’t claim to have the flashiest one of all, but it was certainly the most useful for his chosen career path.

As a detective of Division One for the Tokyo Police Department, Shinichi needed to know things. Evidence, times and places, who was last to see such-and-such alive. His Quirk, Praetervoyance, gave him that knowledge. With a touch of his hand, he was able to peer into the past and witness a crime play out.

So many minion-class villains had been locked up since he started working that he had been dubbed the ‘Hero of TPD’ despite the fact he didn’t have a combat-hero license.

The only downside to his power: he couldn’t turn it off.

Anyone he shook hands with, he instantly knew what they had for breakfast. Help a girl who tripped down the stairs? See her in her underwear getting dressed. Get rescued by a hero? Find out his secret identity. (That had been a tough one to explain.)

It was both a blessing and a curse, but usually the latter, so Shinichi had taken to wearing gloves, long sleeves —pretty much anything to keep his skin from touching others. No skin contact equals no Praetervoyance. It made summers nearly unbearable, but Shinichi dealt. He always had.

Lately, however, with the League of Villains on the rise, Shinichi had been targeted many times. He couldn’t tell if it was because he could expose heroes, expose _villains,_ or he was just being plain nosy. In any case, Division One had gathered funds to hire a bodyguard to watch him twenty-four/seven.

Today was the day he was going to meet them.

“I don’t see what the big deal is!” Shinichi groaned and slumped in his seat. “I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself.”

“The fifteen abduction cases and two attempts at murder would say differently.” Sato tapped her foot viciously.

“The one in Kyoto does _not_ count!” Shinichi glared. “And besides! Hattori was with me for three of those!”

“Which makes it _worse_!” Takagi said emphatically. “He should have _seen_ what would happen and avoided it!”

“He saw we were going to be fine and we were!” Shinichi argued. “You found us before they even _started_ on the first finger!”

“They shouldn’t have had any fingers to start _on_ in the first place!” Satou’s voice got sharp at the end as her foot sped up to blindingly fast.

Takagi sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “Please, just… do this for us? At the very least, it’ll be another set of hands to help disarm a bomb or call in back up when you need.”

“Oh.” Shinichi blinked. “Well, when you put it _that way_ …”

A knock on the door cut their conversation short.

As Satou made herself comfortable on the desk, Takagi clapped a hand onto Shinichi’s shoulder to pin him to his chair. With the number one Eccentric Rookie adequately pinned in, Takagi called out. “Come in!”

The man who opened the door… looked surprisingly like Shinichi. At first glance anyway, but the eyes were a shade darker, hair messy despite most likely being brushed, and a care-free smile stretched across his lips.

Thanks to Hattori’s warning, Shinichi knew his name before the other ever spoke.

“Kuroba Kaito,” the man introduced himself. He shook hands with Satou and Takagi, but didn’t seem perturbed when Shinichi didn’t offer a hand. “I am here to fill the bodyguard position.”

“Are you sure he isn’t a body _double_?” Shinichi gave his superior officers a wary look. “The resemblance is uncanny.”

“Kuroba-kun is to be at your side at all times within normal working hours.” Satou put her hands on her hips. “He is _not_ to be used as a substitute so that you can skip meetings.”

Shinichi clicked his tongue. Dang, there went that idea.

“I am also under orders to escort you to and from your home.” Kuroba said. “As well as anywhere you would like to travel to. In the event of a state of Emergency, my hours will go from ‘work hours’ to ‘twenty-four/seven’ with compensation being made available to me afterwards.”

Shinichi let out a low whistle, impressed. He gave Satou and Takagi a side-eye. “All this for one person?”

“Shinichi, I know that you are new to the force and still finding out where you belong,” Satou started, “but here at the station? We’re a family. We look out for each other.”

“Even the upstart rookie that likes sticking his nose into _everyone’s_ business,” Takagi scowled, “not just the villains.”

“I _swear_.” Shinichi held up his hands. “I didn’t know what that sign meant. I thought the conference room was open! Though, to be fair, you really shouldn’t do those kinds of things at work—!”

“Enough!” Satou slammed her hands against the desk, face red. Takagi’s mirrored hers, though his gaze trailed down to his shoes instead. “Kuroba-kun, please do your job and escort Shinichi-kun out of the room.”

Kuroba looked between the three, because while, yes, that was his job, it wasn’t _exactly_ supposed to be in the way she implied.

“I can go now?” Shinichi hopped to his feet and skipped around the desk. “Good! ‘Cause Hattori told me to meet him at this café for lunch and it’s just getting about time to leave!”

Satou and Takagi let out twin sighs that made Kuroba deeply worried. Takagi caught his eye. “You have your phone on you and charged, right Kuroba-kun?”

“Yes?” Kuroba cocked his head to the side, not knowing where this was going.

“Good.” Takagi nodded. “Call us when you need help.”

“If I need help,” Kuroba set his shoulders determinedly.

Takagi gave him a flat look. “You’ll need it.”

Kuroba stared at him, unsure of how to take that. He might have hazarded a question, but Shinichi called him from the door. “Kuroba-kun, are you coming or what?”

“Ah! Yes!” Kuroba hurried from the room to tail the rookie detective. “Where is this café you were speaking of?”

“Nice place downtown,” Shinichi answered vaguely as he adjusted his gloves. He pointed to a briefcase. “Mind getting that for me?”

Kuroba looked down, confused, but grabbed the case by the handle and quickly caught up to the detective before the man could take off again. “What’s in this?”

“Just some tools of my trade,” Shinichi said as he placed a small Shogi piece from his pocket onto his desk. After placing it precisely where it needed to be, he turned back to his new partner. “Don’t worry too much. It’s just some things to help me with my Quirk.”

Kuroba gave him a bewildered look, but Shinichi paid it no mind. Instead, he turned and led the way down to the parking lot, cackling internally. That Shogi piece would bring a _lot_ of entertainment for him later.

Especially since he’d had Kuroba nick Megure-keibu’s work case which Satou and Takagi were _supposed_ to be watching.

Serves them right for hiring a guard dog.

*             *             *             *             *

Kaito shifted nervously in the driver’s seat of the police car.

Technically, Kudou was supposed to be driving the vehicle, but Kaito had only lasted through one _block_ of Kudou’s insane driving before he demanded that the detective pull over and let him drive. Kudou had grumbled, but allowed him to take the wheel, settling for giving directions instead.

Kaito was nervous about being so close to the detective. He’d heard talk in the grape vine that this young upstart could unmask any villain —and any _hero_ too. The League of Villains had been on the look-out, trying to catch him off-guard and use his Quirk to unmask the heroes while Pros were working roughly the same plan. It seemed everyone and their mother wanted a piece of Kudou Shinichi.

Not Kaito though.

No, he wanted to make sure the other could never use his Quirk on him, but that was the question, wasn’t it?

No one knew how Kudou Shinichi’s Quirk worked. All they knew was that, when he walked into a crime scene, he’d have the name of the criminal in less than ten minutes. Whatever power led to those quick deductions every time was something otherworldly, even in terms of Quirks!

So Kaito resolved himself to be the first to uncover Kudou Shinichi’s abilities, if only so that he could avoid them in the future.

After all, it wouldn’t do to have Kaitou KID unmasked and arrested, now would it?

“Don’t worry,” Kudou said suddenly, making Kaito stiffen. “I’m not going to reveal your secrets to the world.”

“W-what makes you think _that’s_ what I…?”

“It’s what _everyone_ thinks,” Kudou sighed and rested his head against the glass window. “What they don’t get is that it’s just as invasive to me as it is them.”

Kaito frowned at the other’s words and stole a glance at the detective. With a start, he realized that while, yes, Kaito had put some preemptive space between them in the car, _Kudou_ was the one that was pressed as close as he could get to the other door. It’s like he was trying to escape Kaito’s very presence.

 _Huh… maybe it’s a range thing?_ Kaito mused as he turned a corner at Kudou’s command. In an effort to break the tense air between them, Kaito asked a question that had been on his mind since they started driving. “Who is this Hattori-san? Takagi-senpai made it sound like you would be in trouble if you two met up.”

“He _would_ ,” Kudou grumbled around his gloved knuckles. “Hattori is just a friend. We meet up sometimes for lunch or dinner. Usually, it leads us to uncovering and finished up some large case going on in the area. I bet Takagi’s just upset that he has to fill out paperwork every time.”

“A large case?” Kaito frowned as he slowed down to match the new speed limit. “Wouldn’t that be a good thing for detectives? I know that police officers don’t get a lot of coverage now that heroes are all over the place. Something like that sounds like good publicity.”

“Oh, it is, definitely. It’s just… Takagi doesn’t like our methods of going about it.” Kudou spared Kaito a look as he pointed to a parking garage. “Hattori Heiji is known in the squads as the Bringer of Misfortune. His quirk, Postervoyance, allows him to see the many different routes the future could take at once. Because of that, he can see which actions will lead to dead ends and which ones will lead to some evidence or even a conviction.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa!” Kaito said frantically as he put the car in park. “Is that what we’re doing right now!? Running head-first into something dumb and stupid?”

“What? Don’t tell me you’re scared,” Kudou huffed and let himself out of the squad car. “This is basically what you were hired to do anyway.”

“I wasn’t hired to chase danger! I was hired to keep you out of it!” Kaito protested loudly.

“But, Kuroba-kun!” Kudou popped his head back into the car, innocence painted all over his face. “Didn’t you know? ‘Danger’ is my middle name.”

Kaito stared.

Kudou grinned and shut the door after himself.

“I’m going to die, aren’t I?” Kaito rested his head against the steering wheel. He was seriously starting to re-think his plan. Unfortunately, he had to at least make it through the day before deciding to hand in his resignation.

Gathering his strength, Kaito pushed his door open, only to pause at the sight of Kudou’s bag in the back seat. “Oi, Kudou-kun! Do you want me to get your bag?”

“Ha?” Kudou paused where he was half-way to the stairs, confusion in his eyes. Then there was a spark of realization before he waved Kaito off. “Nah, just leave it there. We won’t be needing it today.”

“If you say so…” Kaito looked down at the bag, then locked the car with the case still inside.

The case… with Kudou’s tools of trade. Without it, he wouldn’t be able to use his Quirk or, supposedly, get into any mischief. Perhaps they wouldn’t be looking for trouble today after all.

Kaito would have to take a look at those tools later, to see what he’d need to divest the detective of, should KID ever run into Kudou. But that was for later. Right now, he needed to catch up with his charge who had already started down the stairs.

Kaito had a feeling he’d be chasing after the detective a lot; unfortunately giving the man’s statement more validity than Kaito would have liked.

*             *             *             *             *

“Yo! Kudou!” A new voice called out to them when they had reached the cafe. Kaito searched the crowd and found a dark-skinned man, rough around the edges but approximately their age. He wore a similar business casual attire to Shinichi, save for the ball cap that sat straight on his head. His gaze wasn’t on them, but rather scanning the crowd and passersby.

The glazed look in his eyes gave Kaito the creeps.

“Morning, Hattori,” Kudou greeted as he took a seat beside the man. Kaito hesitated before sitting down beside Kudou, across from the new man. A waitress came by with a menu, from which Kaito just ordered a hot chocolate. Kudou ordered a lemon pie without even looking at the menu. “So, already looking for our next target?”

Hattori tapped his hat with a wry grin, green eyes still roving the many faces that bustled past. “You know it! Also, nice to finally meet you, Kuroba-kun.”

Kaito frowned. He didn’t remember introducing himself, and he’d met Shinichi just that morning. So how did…?

“I told you, Hattori is Postervoyant,” Kudou said, as if hearing Kaito’s question. A quick, fearful look, but no, Kudou didn’t seem to have read his mind. He’s pretty sure he’d be in handcuffs by now if that were the case. “He’s had visions of you for months now. Won’t tell me what they are. He just sits there and laughs.”

“Because it’s hilarious!” Hattori’s grin brightened at his friend’s expense. The waitress came by with their orders, with an extra waffle-cone ice cream for Hattori. Turning his hat around, Hattori smiled brightly at the waitress and thanked her. As she walked off, Kudou took out a long case from his inner suit pocket and opened it up. Kaito was surprised to find a set of eating utensils inside.

“What are those for?” Kaito asked, looking between Kudou’s hands and the utensils at his elbow.

“Kudou’s Quirk likes to act up at the strangest times,” Hattori answered, digging into his ice cream as he spoke. His green eyes were bright and clear, a strange change from earlier. Kaito couldn’t tell when he’d turned off his quirk. “He hates it when he’s eating pie and then, suddenly, tonguing some random stranger.”

… _Tonguing_? Kaito looked to Kudou who wore a grimace that quickly cleared as he bit into his pie.

“It’s a method of dealing, Hattori,” Kudou said without spite. “You know I wouldn’t resort to this if I didn’t have to.”

“Oi, don’t get me wrong. I completely understand! If I could pick and choose when to use _my_ Quirk, I would be having the time of my life!” Hattori jabbed an elbow into the other detective’s side. Kudou choked on his bite of pie and shot Hattori a scathing look. Hattori just grinned and turned his hat back the right way. Suddenly, his mood soured. “Ugh, not what I was hoping for.”

Kaito frowned, but Kudou didn’t even look up from his pie. “Is it Hakuba?”

Whoa, wait, what?

Hattori made a wounded sound. “Yes. In roughly half of the visions I see, we run into him before we get to have a little fun.”

“In how many does he join us?” Kudou asked. Hattori leveled a very unhappy look in his relative direction.

“Hakuba?” Kaito blinked. It had to be as Kaito thought. Hattori knew the Brit that constantly chased after KID. “Hakuba Saguru?”

“Blonde hair, pretentious attitude and bastard of a face,” Hattori confirmed.

Yep, that Hakuba.

“You can’t run from him forever,” Kudou noted as he bit into the last of his pie slice. “He’s going to catch you eventually.”

Kaito froze, thinking he was speaking to him —thinking Kudou had somehow already found out—! But it was Hattori that grumbled. “I never should have told you about that vision!”

“But you did. Now I have blackmail.” Kudou grinned like a predator. “Anyway, what’s he up to?”

“I don’t know and I don’t care. If we don’t move in fifteen minutes, I’m calling it quits and leaving while the going’s still good,” Hattori said, resting his chin in his hand as he scanned the crowd. “Any set of possibilities with _him_ are ones I want to _avoid_. Kuroba too.”

At the remark, Kudou cast a glance at his bodyguard, but Kaito just shrugged. He wasn’t about to explain his double life to his charge, even though this Hattori fellow seemed to have some vague idea. Though, if he knew and was friends with a detective like Kudou, then why didn’t he tell on Kaito?

Maybe he didn’t know?

“Are you feeling like a robbery today? Or a couple of back-alley dealings?” Hattori asked, glazed eyes tacking onto seemingly ordinary people.

What?

“Mm…” Kudou hummed against the napkin pressed to his lips. “Was hoping for a homicide, but I’d take back-alley dealings.”

 _Huh_?

“Then we might want to tag along after —hold up!” Hattori’s gaze shifted to follow a guy turning the corner of the shop. “How about uncovering a smuggling ring?”

Wait a minute—!

“Ooh, that sounds fun,” Kudou said, genuinely excited. He put his utensils away as he tracked Hattori’s gaze. “The one at the corner there?”

No, no, no!

“Yep,” Hattori said as he and Kudou got to their feet. Kaito scrambled to follow. Something headed towards his face, so he caught it instinctively. “Yo, Kuroba. Call for back up in exactly thirteen minutes, yeah? Don’t do it too early or late, or we’ll all be screwed.”

Then they started off after the man who’d turned the corner.

Kaito took off after them… and turned back around to leave money on the table, _then_ followed, casting nervous glances at the phone in his hand. He couldn’t watch the time and the two officers in front of him, so it would be purely up to luck whether or not he struck the thirteen minute mark.

(It was in moments like this when he wished he was like Hakuba, who knew the correct time down to the millisecond. But _only_ in moments like this.)

Good news was: he had a lot of luck. It was his Quirk after all —Fortunarotam.

The only question was: what would it cost him?

Multiple times a day, he could call upon the power of Fate itself to make things go his way. It was a surefire advantage in his life of pseudo-crime. He could get away practically scot-free!

The downside? It stole luck from his future self. If used too much on too big of a goal, it could cost him his very life.

Just like it had his father.

Normally, a simple phone call at the right time wouldn’t mean too much, but the way Hattori’s request sounded, their very _lives_ could be riding on this! If his luck saved three lives now, would it steal his own later on?

Kaito was _really_ regretting taking this job.

The regret only grew as he followed Kudou and Hattori through every twist and turn the back alleys of Tokyo could provide. Before long, Kaito had to _search_ for street signs, just so he knew a location to give Takagi when he inevitably phoned in for help. His inner clock ticked on, the sound getting faster and faster as Kaito’s panic started to increase. With a quick, subtle flourish of his hands, he concentrated on wanting, _needing_ to make the call to Takagi, unable to wait any longer, and—!

_Now!_

The phone picked up on the second ring. Kaito wasn’t sure if the ringing and actual speaking counted in Hattori’s thirteen minutes, but he sincerely hoped not.

(He was probably wrong.)

_“Hello, Detective Takagi speak—?”_

“Takagi-senpai!” Kaito spoke into the phone as quickly and quietly as he could. The trio had paused at a corner, Kudou acting as look-out as Hattori stared unseeingly at the dumpster in front of them. “Hattori and Kudou-san are running down streets after some guy I don’t know. Hattori said something about a smuggling ring? Then he threw a phone at me and told me to call for backup in thirteen minutes and it’s been thirteen minutes _and I need backup_!”

_“… Where are you right now?”_

“Corner of Fourth and Central, heading West — _North!_ Towards the Factory District,” Kaito corrected as the three took off again. “Takagi-senpai, what do I _do_?!”

 _“Stay calm and follow their lead. Hattori won’t let anything bad happen to you. It’s the one thing he’s good for.”_ Then Takagi hung up. Before the phone call ended, Kaito heard chaos and shouting in the background, something along the lines of ‘ _Those two adrenaline junkies!’_

Hattori would keep him safe, huh? Kaito certainly hoped so. He had no idea just how much luck he’d used to make a simple phone call.

*             *             *             *             *

Apparently ‘too much’ was the answer.

They had managed to sneakily follow the man to a warehouse on the outskirts of the district. It belonged to an old furniture company that had gone bankrupt long ago, leaving its wares to rot.

Kaito thought they’d been in the clear. He’d thought they’d be able to sneak in, get their evidence, and get out. He’d thought they’d be _fine_ —then Hattori’s phone (in Kaito’s pocket) rang, blasting an annoying song from the late 90’s (Bad Boys by Inner Circle if Kaito wasn’t mistaken).

Kaito immediately fumbled as Kudou shushed him. Hattori just grinned, the little shit. Who _in the world_ didn’t turn off their volume when planning to _chase after big-time criminals?!_

The sound alerted the suspicious men of their tagalongs and in no time, Kaito found himself tied up alongside the other two. Now, ropes were no problem for the amazing phantom thief, Kaitou KID, but he couldn’t risk aggravating the situation when he had two _dumbass_ detectives to rescue and no luck on his side due to his earlier use of his Quirk.

He could only hope that Takagi could find the right warehouse in time.

“Okay, we’re tied up nice and tight. No way can we escape.” Hattori said, eyes still a little glazed, thought they would clear every once in a while. “Gonna tell us your big plan?”

“You think I’m some kind of moron?” the leader of the small group snorted. “Only idiots go around spilling their guts like that!”

Hattori stared into space for a long second before leaning to whisper loudly to Kudou. “I think he’s scared of us.”

“No way.” Kudou stage-whispered back. “A couple of cops? Restrained like we are? Impossible.”

“Hmm… but then, wouldn’t he be singing himself praises?” Hattori frowned. “Any of the other big leaguers would have taken the chance to gloat. Maybe he isn’t that big on the ladder.”

Kaito stared at him, face pale. _What is he doing?!_

Kudou gave the slowly angering thug a look over. “You know, I think you’re right. I bet he isn’t that high up the chain. He’s some lowly minion or something, not worth a _real hero’s_ time.”

“Excuse you?!” the thug shouted as his henchmen took a step back.

“Oh, sorry! I didn’t mean for you to hear that!” Kudou called innocently. “That was quite rude of me.”

“Yeah, it was!” the thug stomped up to him to drag him up by his collar. “Don’t you puny runts know who I am?!”

“Mmm…” Kudou made a show of thinking it over. “No, can’t say I have. Would you care to inform me?”

The thug snarled and threw him down. Kudou landed half on Hattori, with Kaito cowering behind the two, trying to figure out a way to free himself and not immediately have every thug gunning for him.

“Since you three will be in our next line up, I don’t mind letting you know just what kind of hell you’re in for.” The thug crouched down to stare Kudou in the eye. “I’m in charge of a group that has its hands in a lot of pies. Drugs, arms dealing, exotic smuggling, but most of all, _human trafficking_.”

Kaito felt his blood go cold.

“And the kinds of people who buy our product aren’t the kinds that just want a pretty trophy on their arm. No, these kinds, they’re the _real_ monsters.” The thug licked his lips as he stared down at the three of them. “But some of them don’t mind sloppy seconds. Maybe I should give you a taste of what they have in store for you, _right now_.”

His heart beat quickly in his ears as Kaito’s mind worked furiously to find a way out. He just didn’t have enough hands to slip his ropes, snag the two detectives _and_ keep them out of firing range with the leader _so close_!

They were going to die.

Then Kudou looked over to Hattori. “That’s enough, right?”

Kaito was stunned.

“Hmm… I don’t know.” Hattori looked contemplative. Then his grin turned feral. “Do you think that’s enough to put them away, Takagi-kun?”

Takagi’s voice had come from _nowhere_ with a reply. “More than enough, Hattori-kun.”

Then he had thrown the doors open to display the dozens of surrounding cops with their guns and cars with their lights.

It was kind of beautiful… right up until Takagi untied the trio.

“I can’t _believe_ you, Kudou!” Takagi lectured. “This is what we were trying to _prevent_ with Kuroba’s help! Instead, you just dragged him into it!”

“Well, you did say I could use him to call for back-up,” Kudou said. “I had him call for back-up.”

“And right on time!” Hattori clapped Kaito on the back. His hat was turned backwards again, his eyes clear. Those bright eyes looked over to Kaito as if scheming. “You should bring him around more often. He’s got so much potential.”

“Well, he is my new bodyguard.” Kudou shrugged. “I think we’re pretty much a set now.”

“Oh?” Hattori blinked. “Is that how it is? No wonder I got so many visions of you and him together.”

Kudou noticed Kaito’s look of confusion and sighed.

“Hattori gets visions of possible futures and events leading to them, but he doesn’t always get an explanation,” Kudou said. “Sometimes, he comes up with these wild ideas that are proved false when his vision comes to pass. Which, now that I think about it, is that why you were laughing when you first told me about Kuroba?”

“Not quite.” Hattori winked at Kaito. Kaito stared back. “You’ll learn about it sooner or later… eventually.”

“That… sounds like a threat,” Kaito said, feeling a little light-headed.

Hattori stared at him, then laughed. “I like this guy! I should have sought him out sooner!”

“Like you did with me?” Kudou rolled his eyes. “He would have thought you were some freak, showing up on his doorstep out of the blue.”

“Hey! You seemed perfectly fine when I did that to you!” Hattori pouted.

“That’s because twelve-year-old me wasn’t as cynical as I am now.” Kudou raised an eyebrow. “And whose fault do you think that is?”

“Um… Hakuba’s?” Hattori guessed.

“Did someone call my name?” the blonde asked, popping up right behind Hattori. The dark-skinned man yelped and cursed loudly. “Rude. I’ve been here the whole time, you know.”

“Then _say something_ , y’prick!” Hattori hissed as he hid behind Kudou.

“Apologies, but the timing wasn’t right,” Hakuba replied cryptically. Kaito grimaced at the other detective. “Kuroba-kun? What are you doing here?”

“You know Kuroba?” Kudou asked. “He just started today as my bodyguard.”

“We were classmates in school.” Hakuba’s eyes narrowed at Kaito. Oh yeah, he knew what Kaito was up to, getting so close to the star rookie of Division One. “To my understanding, you had been planning to become a magician, were you not?”

“Turns out, making a name for myself is harder than it sounds.” Kaito shrugged with an easy grin on his face. “I had to pick up a second job to make rent. Figured guarding a detective couldn’t be too hard…”

Wow, that lie sounded fake, even to him!

Hakuba’s face darkened, but he didn’t call Kaito out on it. After all, the blonde didn’t have any evidence of Kaito’s other deeds, and until he did, Kaito was in the clear.

“Enough about Kuroba, why are _you_ here?” Hattori groused from behind Kudou’s shoulder.

“Ah, right.” The suspicion on his face cleared up to reveal interest and a little excitement. “It’s no smuggling ring, but I heard that they found a dead body in the Aquarium down town. I was wondering if either of you would be interested in checking out the crime scene with me?”

Kudou immediately lit up. Hattori looked very much like he _didn’t want to go_ , but also very much like he was _dying to go_. The curiosity got the better of him and the look he shared with Kudou told Kaito that he _wasn’t going to like this_.

Not. At. All.

(He discovered the price of the phone call. It was Hakuba finding out about his worst fear and then using it on him at his next heist. Kaito was _not_ amused.)

*             *             *             *             *

His next day was filled with a stern lecture about letting Hattori and Kudou run free. Apparently, that was very against his job and Division One heavily thought about firing him there on the spot. That and he had apparently ‘stolen’ Megure-keibu’s briefcase.

Kudou spoke on his behalf in both cases, securing Kaito his job.

He was not sure he wanted to keep it.

Against his best attempts, Kudou and Hattori continued to meet up.

Hattori continued to ask him to do seemingly random things that ‘only Kaito can do’, which meant Kaito had to use his Quirk more than he ever had before. Kaito never saw a rhyme or reason to the request, nor to his consequences. Making a choice between left or right at a street meant he got hit by a cyclist the next morning. Perfectly timing and aiming a bottle cork through a series of increasingly ridiculous angles earned him a stubbed toe come night time.

It was weeks later and he still had no idea how Hattori figured these things out, other than his Postervoyance.

It was nearly two months after he’d started and he’d learned _everything_ about Kudou’s Praetervoyance. He knew what it needed to activate, how Kudou was able to unmask so many villains seemingly with ease. He knew what he needed to do to avoid the same happening to him, and how to keep KID off Kudou’s radar all together. He knew that Kudou’s reputation was not all thanks to Kudou’s Quirk, that the detective was intelligent well within his own right.

He was a little sad he couldn’t match wits with the detective, but it was a risk he just couldn’t take.

He had learned all he needed to know, so why was he still there? Why was he still protecting those two trouble-magnet detectives?

“Oi,” Hattori called his attention. Kudou had left for the restroom with a promise he wouldn’t run off without them. Kaito was keeping an eye on the restroom anyway, just to be sure. Reluctantly, Kaito forced his eyes to Hattori. “Are you thinking about quitting? Bein’ Kudou’s bodyguard, that is.”

Kaito’s eyebrows rose, but he answered honestly. Where Hattori was concerned, that was always the best policy. “Yes.”

Hattori nodded, his eyes glazing in that way that said he was searching the future. A few seconds passed and they cleared. He pulled a coin from his pocket. “Flip this for me.”

Kaito took it from him. “Which one are you looking for?”

“Surprise me.” Hattori shrugged.

Kaito’s eyes bounced between the man and the coin, mentally trying to estimate what exactly this would cost him. He had a heist the next night, so he really didn’t want to go wasting luck he would need, but what could a simple coin flip cost? With Hattori, Kaito never knew.

Stealing himself, Kaito activated his Quirk and gave the coin a flip.

It landed heads.

Hattori smirked. “You won’t quit.”

“Hah?” Kaito blinked. Was that what he was flipping for? Wasn’t that Kaito’s choice?

“I saw three possible paths from the moment I gave you that coin,” Hattori said, turning his hat backwards and mentally turning his Quirk ‘off’. “One, you get heads. Two, you get tails. Three, you refuse to flip it at all.”

“… and that told you I would stay being Kudou-kun’s bodyguard?” Kaito gave him a dubious look.

“It told me you wouldn’t quit, among other things,” Hattori said as he stood. “Tell Kudou that today is off. I saw nothing but paperwork in our future.”

Really? But usually Hattori could find _something_ , even if it was as small as a mugging. It was weird he couldn’t see _anything._

Not that Kaito was complaining.

“Oh, and keep that coin on you,” Hattori said, pointing to the heads-up coin still in Kaito’s palm. “You’ll want it. Things get real interesting tomorrow.”

Tomorrow, the night of his heist. Kaito swallowed thickly.

Well, Hattori was usually right…

Kudou came back then. He was discouraged by Hattori’s message, but he didn’t put up much of a fight as Kaito escorted him back. The rest of the day was spent safely in Division One’s head-quarters. Kaito was even complimented on stopping a day’s worth of Kudou-Hattori mayhem.

The kickback from the coin toss never came. Kaito hoped it wouldn’t come during the heist.

*             *             *             *             *

He was dead.

He was so, _so_ dead.

His heist had gone belly-up from the start. The Taskforce had managed to evade many of his traps with painful ease. Nakamori seemed to be at the top of his game too, his Intuition Quirk pointing him right to KID’s disguise. Some eager officers had even thought to subtly use their Quirks, despite the fact that KID was considered ‘Quirkless’ and could only be dealt with as such.

That wasn’t the worst part. Kaito could have dealt with them.

What he couldn’t deal with were the _snipers_.

One or two had made the odd appearance at his heists, taking potshots or warning him. Tonight, there had been no less than a _dozen_ scattered around neighboring sky-scrapers. On top of that, several new faces in the Taskforce had been aiming to kill rather than capture. Kaito hadn’t _thought_ Nakamori would go so far, but… he couldn’t be sure anymore.

A decade spent chasing one thief could do things to a person.

From there, the heist just got worse. KID was run ragged through the building, not even _close_ to snatching up the target that night, before he finally decided to bolt. Even _he_ had self-preservation instincts, little as they were.

The ground floor had been surrounded, so he’d made for the roof. The idea was to hang-glide out of there, but that scheme had been blown to pieces —literally. He’d been in the air mere seconds before his glider crumbled above him.

It had been instinct that had him whipping out his grappling hook and swinging to the next building. He’d thought he would get a reprieve, but the shooters didn’t let up.

Now, he was running across roof tops, trying to escape pursuers from behind and above as choppers filled the air.

If he were able to take a moment and breathe, Kaito might have cried.

But he didn’t have that moment, so he kept running, air tearing in and out of his lungs as those ‘pings’ of bullets grew louder, _closer_.

All too soon, he ran out of roof. The next building was too far and too high to jump for.

He pivoted, made to head toward the fire escape, but—!

 _Ping_!

Pain ripped through his chest, his lungs emptied of air. His momentum pushed him sideways over the edge and he was falling, falling, _falling_!

So… this was how he died: a bullet to the chest and every bone in his body broken.

Kaito can’t say he saw it ending any other way.

He hit the ground hard, except… it wasn’t the ground?

It deflated under him, emptying entirely in two seconds. Before the chopper lights could sweep the alley, hands were grabbing him, lifting him and pressing him against a doorway.

“You better not be dead already!” a familiar voice growled out. “Hattori didn’t say I’d be dragging back a corpse!”

Kaito knew that voice, knew the gloved hands under his arms, the lithe figure pressed to his chest. His lungs inhaled painfully. “K-Kudou?”

The person stiffened, then pressed forward. “Stay quiet and don’t move.”

Kaito wasn’t sure he could anyway. It felt like he was dying.

The spotlight passed through the alley. Shouts from above made the Taskforce’s anger known. Kaito winced as he breathed, wondering just what the detective was waiting for.

Then came an announcement from many sources at once. “ _This squadron is with the International Police! We have you surrounded! Give up your weapons!”_

Fear turned Kaito’s blood to ice, driving a spike through his stomach. This was it. This was his end. This was-!

“About time.” Kudou groaned and eased away, taking Kaito’s support with him. “Come on, let’s —hey! Whoa!”

Kaito let out a pathetic moan as Kudou caught him half-way down, then settled him the rest of the way.

“KID?” Kudou’s hands patted him down, searching for injuries. “KID, I don’t… where are you hurt?”

“Chest,” Kaito managed to say through clenched teeth. “B’llet.”

 _“Shit!”_ Kudou’s hands went right to the hole in Kaito’s suit, but… didn’t come away with blood? Inquisitive hands slipped inside his jacket, going to the inner breast pocket that held his cards and a few other carry-ons… and the coin from Hattori.

With the bullet embedded in it.

Kaito let out a shaky breath. Okay. Good. He wasn’t going to die tonight. At least, not from blood loss.

From Kudou? That was another matter.

“With that much force, I’m pretty sure you shattered at least one rib, so we’ll need to get you to the hospital ASAP,” Kudou said as he tucked the coin into an evidence bag and then into his own pocket. “Before that, we need to find Nakamori.”

“C-can’t you just… skip that part?” Kaito hissed as Kudou pulled him to his feet.

“I’m sorry, but unless you want to spend the rest of your life as a criminal, you need to see him, Kuroba.” Kudou tugged his arm over his shoulders to better support him. “I’d prefer you do so while the Interpol officers and the heroes they called in are still here.”

“Heroes?” Kaito muttered to himself, then his mind actually processed the words. “Wait… what did you say?”

“Interpol officers? Heroes? Don’t live like a criminal?” Kudou guessed several times before his nose wrinkled. “Kuroba?”

“H-how…?”

“Uh, not gonna lie, you kind of lost your hat on the way down.” Kudou pointed to the top hat that was skipping in the wind. “And your monocle is hardly a mask.”

“Ah.” Yeah, that would do it.

“Honestly, I’m surprised it took me this long to figure out your identity,” Kudou grumbled. “Though I suppose I wasn’t actually _trying_. Hattori told me not to look into you when KID first showed up, so even though I _really wanted_ to try my hand—?”

“Why are you here?” Kaito asked, interrupting the detective’s rant.

“… Are you stupid?” Kudou gave him a scathing look. “I may be nothing but a body to guard for you, but you’re my friend! I know we haven’t known each other long, but you always go along with Hattori and I instead of nagging at us to stop and everything just seems to go _so much better_ with you around and I really don’t want to _lose you_ -!”

“N-no, I…” Kaito shook his head, then groaned when that was the _wrong_ thing to do. “How did you know… to…?”

“Hattori told me to be in that alley with a spare black stunt-fall mattress. He told me the exact time and where I had to stand and what to do when KID came over the edge…” Kudou’s gaze went to the sidewalk they were on. “He didn’t tell me it was you.”

“Maybe he didn’t know?”

“Oh, he knew all right.” Kudou’s gaze when dark. “He’s been laughing about it this whole time, the bastard. I should really go give him hell for that.”

“I’m not stopping you,” Kaito said, feeling a bit more confident with his feet under him. His chest still throbbed with pain, but he was pretty sure he could make an escape now, if he needed to. And he… kind of needed to. “Why don’t you go talk to him right now? I’ll just… sit here and wait for you to come back.”

Kudou’s glare turned to him. “Fat chance. Hattori told me you would bolt if the opportunity presented itself.”

Kaito cursed Hattori violently in his head.

“Besides, you wouldn’t be doing yourself a favor,” Kudou said, picking up the pace again.

“I fail to see how keeping myself _out_ of jail, isn’t a favor,” Kaito deadpanned.

“Because Hattori and I already spoke with Interpol,” Kudou said. “Once Hattori explained his visions, they were willing to give you a pardon, so long as you turned yourself in after the people targeting you were arrested.”

“So that’s why you won’t let me run…” Kaito hated to admit, but it was a relief on his end. “But wait, it couldn’t _just_ be due to Hattori. He can only see the future events. He can’t see the past or see people’s reasoning behind certain actions. Can he?”

“No, that’s… where I came in.” Kudou’s cheeks reddened. “I didn’t use my Quirk or anything, but I… may have asked for a little help from a big name.”

“Who?”

“Kudou-kun!” an enthusiastic voice called out. “Over here, over here!”

Kaito looked up to see… no way. It couldn’t be.

The Wonder Duo? Deku and Ground Zero? The number one hero duo in _history_?!

The one in green was waving hard at them while the other just scowled and leaned against the entrance to Kaito’s stage for the night. Seeing the two side-by-side was disconcerting. Having both of their gazes fixed on him was even more so.

“Thanks for the help, Deku-kun,” Kudou greeted as he dragged Kaito their way. “I’m sorry about having to call you in for something like this.”

“Oh, don’t worry about it!” Deku flashed him a bright grin. “We get to share credit for the capture of so many villains at once, so I don’t think even Kacchan can be mad at that!”

The blonde behind him growled, but didn’t argue.

“Is this the one you were talking about?” Deku asked, eyes switching over to Kaito. The guy practically dripped justice and power, to the point where Kaito kind of wanted to hide behind Kudou. He was also the size of two Kaitos together, so he was… kind of intimidating.

“Ah, yeah, this is Kaitou KID,” Kudou said as he nodded to the doors of the building. The duo followed them in as he explained. “I don’t have the full story yet, but it appears that he did what he had to in order to keep those men we caught tonight from stealing something precious. At least, that’s what Hattori said.”

“While that was very noble of you, you really should have gone to the police or a hero.” Deku gave him a stern look, making Kaito wilt. “You could have gotten seriously hurt! Or even died!”

“If I thought someone would listen, I would have,” Kaito grumbled as Kudou led them into a room with Nakamori and several other official looking people. Kaito smiled weakly at Nakamori’s shocked face. “But saying that I was stopping an evil organization that killed my dad, from getting a magical stone said to grant immortal life, kind of sounded crazy even to myself.”

Kudou stared at him. Deku stared at him.

Ground Zero snorted and dropped himself into a seat. “Why don’t you start from the beginning?”

So Kaito did. He told as much of his story that he thought was important, and then filled in gaps when others questioned him. Nakamori was still reeling the whole time from KID’s unmasking, but when he heard the truth of what happened to the _first_ Kaitou KID, his face went hard and he had to excuse himself from the room.

Deku took notes and the Interpol agents seemed to be going through a check list of sorts, but Ground Zero was the one asking hard questions.

“So you’re saying you didn’t do this out of revenge?” Ground Zero asked, one eyebrow raised.

“Not… exactly.” Kaito shifted, then winced as his ribs moved. They had been taped up as best as first aid allowed, but he wouldn’t mind going to the hospital, if only so he could get the good drugs. “I started being KID because it’s what Pops did. I just wanted to know _why_ , you know? He never seemed like the kind of person to do such a thing…”

A stage magician that seemed to hold real _magic_ in his hand, even though his Quirk was nothing but having a little extra luck. Kaito had looked up to the man his whole life, _still_ looked up to him.

How long had his father deceived his own son?

He took a deep breath and continued. “When I found out that he was… that _they_ had murdered him, I was angry. I was hurt. I… wanted revenge. But I knew Pops would never want me to travel down a path like that. He was the one that taught me that all life is precious. If I wanted revenge, I knew I had to go about it a different way.”

“So you went after what _they_ wanted,” Ground Zero stated.

Kaito nodded. “And I _told_ them too. I wanted to draw them out, get them to make mistakes, lower their guard. I wanted them _caught_ , but I couldn’t do that on my own. I knew how to lure them out, but trapping them was another matter. I… wasn’t very good at that part.”

“And all the while, you were looking for a stone that might as well be a myth.” Ground Zero scoffed. “Honestly, a stone that grants immortality? Do you even believe that?”

“Does it matter?” Kaito looked over to him. “ _They_ believed it. As long as I threatened their search in anyway, I knew I could coax them out of hiding.”

“And get killed because of it.” Ground Zero gritted his teeth. “Do you have no fucking preservation instincts?”

“Very little,” Kaito said simply.

“Fucking-!” Ground Zero drew a hand down his face. “How are you even still alive? Keeping up a one-man battle against an _army_ of villains for _nine_ _years_ and you don’t even have a _Quirk_!”

“He has a Quirk,” Kudou chimed in. “Luck based.”

Kaito stared at him, slack-jawed. How did he…?

“What?” Kudou gave him a scandalized look. “You’ve been my bodyguard for two months. You think I wouldn’t connect the dots?”

“I’ve been friends with Nakamori-keibu’s daughter since I was five and he never noticed,” Kaito said. “He was friends with my Pops, _who had the same Quirk_ **,** and he still didn’t notice.”

Kudou made to open his mouth, then decided against it.

“So you’re telling me that he’s just really lucky?” Ground Zero leaned forward with a scowl. “Bull shit.”

“More like, I can make things go my way, but by dooming my future self to a _very_ bad day.” Kaito shrugged. “I don’t like to use it often, only when it’s a matter of life or death.”

“Do you have a license for it?” Deku asked, suddenly joining the conversation again. “Because free use of a Quirk is still against the law.”

“It’s hard to get a license for that?” Kaito’s shoulder drew in, despite the pain it caused his ribs. “It’s not exactly useful in combat.”

“You can do what Hattori and I did and get a non-combatant license,” Kudou said. “Ours aren’t so good for fighting, but they are _really_ beneficial to the police force.”

“But I’m not part of the police force?” Kaito gave him a sour look. “Honestly, after this, I’m kind of hoping to never have to use it again.”

“I would still keep it in mind, just in case,” Deku said. “As for using your Quirk without a license, since this is your first recorded offense, we’ll just let you off with a warning.”

“You’re going soft, Deku,” Ground Zero grumbled, but leaned back in his seat.

“And since you helped us take down so many big name criminals, your previous crimes of vandalism, property damage, fraud and temporary theft have all been pardoned by the League of Nations,” Deku read off a short script. “With the assumption you will not perform these acts again. Should you do so, any and all pardons will be revoked. Do you understand?”

“Did you…” Kaito frowned. “Did you get all of them?”

Deku blinked. “All of them?”

“All of the ones after me. All of the criminals from that organization.” Kaito lowered his head. “The ones that killed my dad…”

“That’s really not your business anymore, now is it?” Ground Zero crossed his arms.

“Kacchan!”

“Well, it’s not!”

“But what if you didn’t?” Kaito asked, leaning forward, then wrapping an arm around his ribs when they throbbed in protest. “What if some of them are still out there? Searching and robbing and killing people?”

“Are you afraid that you could be targeted?” Deku asked, face serious. “We can offer you a witness protection—?”

“No! I’m worried that there are more out there!” Kaito hissed as he tightened his hand against his chest. “They know Kaitou KID. He’s a target for them above any other person. If he’s suddenly gone…”

“You’re sayin’ you don’t want to give up being bait,” Ground Zero clarified, zero emotion in his voice.

Kaito glared at him, eyes determined.

“Interesting.” Ground Zero’s grin was feral. “Work on getting that license and maybe we’ll talk about it.” Then he stood to leave. “Oi, Deku, we’re done here. Exchange notes with Interpol later. We’re heading home.”

“Ah! But, Kacchan—!” Deku looked between him and Kaito multiple times before scrambling to his feet and gathering up his notes. He said a quick good-bye to the agents and waved to Kudou before racing after his partner.

“What just happened?” Kaito asked, stunned.

“You got pardoned for all of the crimes you previously committed and then figure out how to get permission to continue doing them legally,” Kudou said, not even looking surprised. “Hattori told me it would happen.”

“Why am I not surprised?” Kaito leaned back and hissed as his ribs protested. “Hospital the next stop, Kudou-kun?”

“Shinichi.”

“Huh?” Kaito’s gaze jerked over to the detective, wide-eyed.

“I… you…” Kudou’s cheeks reddened in embarrassment. “… Hattori said that you would start calling me Shinichi… sometime soon.”

“Did he now?” Kaito felt his lips pulling into a genuine smile. “Did he say when that was?”

“No. You know he’s never exact with these things.” Kudou said, nose upturned.

While that was true, Kaito still doubted Kudou’s claim, but two could play at that game. “He said that you would call me Kaito.”

“H-he did?” Ku –Shinichi’s eyes went wide, then he caught sight of Kaito’s teasing grin. He looked stubbornly away. “Well, if he said it, then I guess I better.”

“Yeah.” Kaito leaned over just enough to place a kiss on the other’s reddened cheek. “Me too.”

 

 

 

 

Somewhere years in the past, Hattori returns after meeting the boy who will become his best friend and receives the biggest lecture of his life. He just smiled through it though, as he knows what’s in store for a certain Kudou Shinichi and a certain Kuroba Kaito.

He just has to get them there.

(And avoid Hakuba Saguru entirely, but that’s a story for another day.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, thoughts on my 'part 2'? Was it a good idea to tack it on or would it have been better on its own?
> 
> Please let me know if you have opinions! :)


	6. Finding Kaito (Mermaid AU)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Detective Conan or Magic Kaito, only the idea for this fic.
> 
> PS - So, I'm actually not a fan of 'Finding Nemo', but I couldn't really pass up the chance to make a reference? And this is a mermaid AU, so, it's as close as I will get to a fishy story. Plus, I've got a sequel planned already, so might as well cash in on a series name.
> 
> Kaito doesn't have the same phobia as in cannon. He likes to play with fish, but finds eating them a *terrifying* thought. Other than that, I tried to stick with canon personalities. Let me know if I succeeded!
> 
> Anyway, hope you enjoy!

Kaito was a unique fish.

His scales were pure white and eyes a nice shade of violet coral. His hair was a normal brown, but his bright smile more than made up for the dull coloring. He could understand the humans on the other side of his glass, though he could not speak with them.

The dolphins said he was too fishy for the humans.

His trainers said he was too human for the fish.

To him, Kaito was just Kaito and there was only one of him.

He knew this because his trainers often talked about his rarity, how he was ‘in dangered’. Kaito didn’t think he was in danger. His glass tank had no predators in it, none as large as Kaito anyway. And before…

Kaito did not remember much of the ‘Before’, only knew that there was one. He had come from the sea years and years ago, back when he had only been a guppy. He knew that he had a mother and father, though where they were now, he didn’t know.

He tried not to think about it.

Instead, he contented himself to swim in the fake reef, play with all the colorful fish, and tease the little reef sharks when they drifted too close. He got tasty food chunks three times a day and more if he performed with the dolphins in the arena. He had a good life. He was happy.

Until a new creature was brought in to the aquarium.

Kaito awoke to the vibrations of footsteps coming from his trainers’ side of the glass. He broke the water to frantic calls of “ _Losing blood_.”, “ _Keep that anesthesia going_!”, “ _Its scales are a different color, is it diseased?_ ”

Kaito couldn’t see what they were working on past the bodies, but the creature was definitely large. He would have thought a shark or dolphin, but the tail was not right. It was a dark color, twilight black with a very light sheen in the fluorescent lights. Scales covered every inch up to the fanned tail that looked like one of the reef fish.

Kaito had never seen something like this before.

“Okay, the bleeding has stopped and we’ve got the water-proof plaster covering the wound. Go ahead and deliver the antidote to the anesthesia. We’ll have to let him rest in a quarantine tank and watch him through the night.”

“Got it.”

“Oh? Looks like we have an audience.”

Kaito blinked at the trainer watching him. Cocking his head to the side, Kaito let out a trilling chirp.

“Curious about what he is? Well, you’ll get to meet him soon enough. If everything checks out, he’ll be your new best friend.”

Kaito lifted his ear flaps. Friend? What was that? Did friends like to play with fish and tease the reef sharks? If so, Kaito wouldn’t mind a friend.

There was a great splash of water at the tank next to Kaito’s. Several tanks like it were blocked off to the public, unlike Kaito’s tank, and were used mainly for sick or injured animals that his trainers had found. Sometimes, the animals would be taken back to the sea, other times they would end up in his tank or others he spied from his vantage point.

Curious about the new animal, Kaito ducked below the surface and swam over to the pane of glass that separated his tank and the quarantine tank —Kaito’s quarantine tank. Kaito didn’t know how he felt about sharing his sick tank with another.

What if Kaito got sick? Where would he go?

Hands pressed against the glass, Kaito searched the empty tank for the new creature before finding a dark lump curled on the floor of the tank. The creature must feel really bad if it wasn’t even floating.

From a distance, Kaito inspected it. The tail was long, much longer than any reef fish, longer than Kaito’s even! But now, he could tell the fanned end had ragged edges and tears. How they came about, Kaito didn’t know, but they looked years old

His eyes followed the dark scales up to a pale body —a two-toned fish, not unheard of —then up further to dark hair and closed eyes and…

Kaito startled. He pushed off the glass, only to do a quick flip and press his nose back to it, ear flaps high in excitement.

It was another him! It was another Kaito! It was another Kaito-fish!

His body was coursing with energy as he did another full turn.

He didn’t know he had ever wanted another Kaito-fish. He had thought he was content with the dolphins and sea turtles and reef fish, but he was wrong! There was another Kaito-fish! He wasn’t alone!

He let out an ecstatic trail of bubbles and broke the surface to let out happy squeaks. One of his trainers stood up top, watching carefully, then smiling when Kaito grinned at him. “I don’t know what the others were thinking. You? Territorial? Pfft!”

Kaito hauled himself halfway up the ledge by his elbows and pointed to the tank next to his, letting out a questioning series of clicks. The trainer looked over, but shook his head. A large, hot hand ruffled Kaito’s hair. “Sorry, Kiddo, but he’s injured and just came from the sea. We don’t know what kind of parasites or germs he has. If he’s got something bad, you could get sick.”

Sick? Injured? The new Kaito-fish was? Kaito glanced over with a worried trill, ear flaps falling low. Would he even get to meet the new Kaito-fish? Or would it go back out to sea without him?

“Don’t look so glum,” the man laughed. “Give it a week and you’ll probably have a new tank-mate in there with you.”

Kaito let out an eager click.

“In the meantime, mind keeping an eye on him for us?” The trainer tilted his head to the side. “You would know when he wakes up before we would.”

Kaito nodded quickly and ducked back down to the background of his trainer’s laughter. He pressed his face against the glass, eager for the Kaito-fish to wake. He couldn’t wait to meet them!

*             *             *             *             *

His day was torn between the public and the glass.

He would grow bored of the creature’s sleep and wander over to his audience on the other glass wall. He would do flips and tricks and smile at the little human guppies. Then he would suddenly remember his trainer’s request and he’d swim to the glass again. This repeated several times throughout the day, the Kaito-fish never moving until the time the audience grew small and the hall lights started to go dim.

Then, the Kaito-fish stirred, tail unfurling from around it and swim bladder slowly pushing it to float. Excited, Kaito swam to the top to let out a series of chirps before disappearing back down to observe.

The other Kaito fish looked disoriented and scared. It swam circles around the bottom of the tank as if looking for reef shark to tease. Kaito rapped on the glass separating them and grinned when the other Kaito-fish whipped around with bared teeth. “I’m Kaito! Who are you?”

The Kaito-fish slowly covered his teeth with a frown. Kaito cocked his head to the side. “Can you hear me? Are your ears broken? They said you were injured.”

The Kaito-fish rubbed at his ears as Kaito spoke and drifted closer with a look of consternation on his face. His own lips moved, but Kaito could only hear muffled vowels, no words that he could understand. Ah, maybe that’s why the Kaito-fish wasn’t responding. The glass was muffling their words.

Switching over to the dolphin language he knew could pierce glass, Kaito let out a series of clicks and scratchy squeals. The Kaito-fish startled when the sounds slid through the barrier.

_I Kaito. You name?_

The Kaito-fish frowned. _You talk funny_.

Kaito gaped. Rude!

Before he could retort, the Kaito-fish whirled around, startled by a disturbance to his water. Kaito looked up knowingly and, sure enough, little food chunks were drifting down from above. It wasn’t meal time, but the Kaito-fish hadn’t eaten anything all day, so he supposed his trainers were worried that he was hungry.

Instead of falling upon the tasty morsels, the Kaito-fish sniffed and wrinkled his nose. _What are these? What?_

 _Food_. Kaito clicked. _Hungry_?

The Kaito-fish gave them a dubious look and turned away. He looked at Kaito again, then something over Kaito’s shoulder. Suddenly, he darted forward, ramming into the glass between them with a loud _thump_. The water around Kaito swirled as several fish turned and fled. Ah, looks like the fishies were curious about Kaito’s odd behavior. He didn’t often stay stationary after all.

The Kaito-fish let out a long groan as he clutched at his forehead _. Ow! What was that?!_

Kaito opened his mouth to reply, then paused. Dolphins didn’t have a good word for glass other than…

 _Unmelting ice_ , Kaito replied, putting his hands on the glass. _Magic_.

The Kaito-fish scowled at him before reaching out tentatively with his fingers. When a light brush did not result in pain, the Kaito-fish pressed his hands firmly against it, then along it, looking for an opening.

He was growing frantic when Kaito spoke. _No break here. My water, your water_.

The Kaito-fish’s face went pale. _Why? Why do this?_

Kaito shrugged. _You in sick water. Sick water and my water no mix._

 _But I’m not sick!_ The Kaito-fish thrashed his tail in anger, then let out a gasp of bubbles as pain went up his side from his wound. _Ow, what?_

 _No sick. Hurt,_ Kaito confirmed. _And new. New fish in sick water._

 _… You’re talking about…_ a series of clicks that Kaito didn’t know. At his blank look, the Kaito-fish ran a hand through his hair and tried again. _Sick-keep-away?_

Kaito perked up, gills fluttering. _Yes! Yes!_

The Kaito-fish let out a silent huff, looking around with new understanding, though still uncomfortable with his surroundings. Kaito frowned. _You sad. I help?_

Bright blue eyes looked up, eyebrows raising, then shot past his shoulder. Kaito glanced over to see a few of the fishies hovering around and watching through the glass. He turned back to see the Kaito-fish’s wistful face. _You want?_

Blue eyes widened, then he frantically nodded his head. He must be really sad and lonely. Chasing fishies always made Kaito happy.

Kaito’s tail did a happy wiggle. _Yes. I catch. You name?_

The Kaito-fish frowned before answering with a series of sounds that Kaito couldn’t translate. The Kaito-fish’s frown deepened, then he leaned in until his lips pressed to the glass. Eager, Kaito pressed an ear flap to it as well.

“My name… Shinichi.” The words were still muffled, but Kaito caught on to the name of the new creature. Shinichi… it made his belly warm.

He pressed his own lips to the glass. “Hi Shinichi! My name is Kaito!”

He drew back with a grin as he watched Shinichi pull his ear away, pale lips mouthed his name, causing the warm feeling to grow. Satisfied with their introduction, Kaito turned and plucked one of the fish from the hovering group.

The fish barely struggled, used to Kaito catching and releasing it and its brethren. Many were used to it by now, making the chase kind of boring, but some company in a lonely tank was nice.

Fish held firmly in hand, Kaito swam to the surface and popped his head up. His trainers and other humans were still gathered around Shinichi’s tank, watching him like they used to watch Kaito. The wall between his tank and the other was thick, but not thick enough a well-aimed throw couldn’t cross it.

“Kaito? What are you…?” his trainer choked when a fish went sailing through the air and into Shinichi’s tank with a plop. “Kaito! What…?”

Kaito didn’t stick around for the lecture. Instead, he ducked down again, eager to see Shinichi play with his new companion.

And play, Shinichi did. He swam fast and furious, catching the fish easily as it swam frantically in its new environment. Kaito wondered if he was sad the chase was so short and was about to offer another fish, when Shinichi brought the caught fish up to his mouth…

And bit it in half.

Kaito watch numbly as the fish he’d held in his hands only moments ago disappeared between sharp teeth and bloodied lips. He felt his stomach roil as he stared at those wide, dead eyes, staring at Kaito like it was his fault.

And it was. He did this. He threw the fish over to Shinichi to be devoured savagely. He did this.

…

Kaito didn’t want to talk to Shinichi anymore.

Suddenly, more fish were dumped into Shinichi’s tank, alive and swimming frantically as Shinichi gave chase, but Kaito couldn’t watch. No, he swam all the way to the other end of his tank and under a bit of fake rock that was his hiding place. There, he curled up tight and hid his face.

If he hid hard enough, he might be able to hide from the memories of what just transpired.

*             *             *             *             *

Shinichi bit into the fish feverishly. He didn’t know how long he’d been out, but it was long enough for his stomach to growl rebelliously at him. The fish was small, in no way enough, but those ‘food’ chunks Kaito had pointed to were suspicious at best. Licking his fingers clean, he turned to thank Kaito, only to find the merman swimming away, pure white tail frantic.

Shinichi called for him, but the sudden addition of dozens of live fish to his waters disturbed the sounds and his voice was lost among the waves. Then, his instincts drove him to hunt until he’d had his fill, stomach satisfyingly full. By then, Kaito was long gone.

Shinichi swam around his tank, restless and trapped. The fish not caught swam to the opposite end of his circuits, causing something of a current to pick up, but it was nothing like the ocean currents he was used to. He needed to get back to the ocean, but the question was _how_?

He thought as he swam, careful to stay below the surface and the humans’ questioning eyes. They hadn’t done anything yet, but he didn’t trust them, not one bit. Especially not after how he had been caught. His side gave a twinge.

No, he had to figure out their patterns and habits before he ever thought of escape. But there were many and only one of him. It would take forever.

Unless…

Kaito had been there for years, Shinichi was sure. White tails only occurred in guppies that stayed close to the pale sand floors. As they grew and swam under the sun, their tails darkened into more recognizable patterns and colors. For Kaito’s tail to be white, he had not seen much real sun since his guppy days. Which meant, he had to have been here for _years_.

He would know about the humans most, but… would he help Shinichi?

He had swam off quickly after Shinichi ate the fish Kaito had shared. If he had been raised on the ‘food’ chunks (fish, Shinichi found on examination, cut and drained fish, but still fish), then to Kaito, it would seem like Shinichi had eaten his friend with little to no provocation. Not the best first impression.

And they _were_ Kaito’s friends. They didn’t dart when Kaito drew near and even schooled up with him when Kaito was slow enough for them to keep up. Even the reef sharks (Shinichi licked his lips hungrily) didn’t seem bothered by Kaito’s pestering and gave chase good-naturedly when Kaito nagged them enough.

Shinichi shouldn’t be surprised. After all, mers were mainly social creatures. Even Shinichi yearned for company at times and he was one of the most aloof mers out there. Kaito making friends with his prey? Not surprising.

What did surprise him was the fact that Kaito seemed to _prefer_ them over Shinichi, over another mer, one of his kind!

Shinichi didn’t know how he felt about being passed over for prey.

Shinichi kept watch as much as he could from the bottom of his tank, trying to assess his area. Occasionally, he would poke his head out of the water to watch the humans, but only when he was in the far corner of the pool, far out of reach.

Mostly, he would keep an eye on Kaito and a covert one at that. The moment Kaito noticed his surveillance, the other mer was quick to hide behind his fake rocks and corals, avoiding Shinichi’s gaze completely.

Yeah, Shinichi definitely botched the first impression if Kaito’s continued avoidance was any indication.

There were times, though, where Kaito disappeared altogether. At first, Shinichi thought he was just really good at hiding, then he noticed some seaweed waving in a current that hadn’t been there before. Several other fish darted around, following the current, then swimming against it. An hour later, the current would end and Shinichi would spot Kaito’s tail among the rocks.

Was it a passage way? Did Kaito already have an escape route? Could he get free?

Shinichi needed to know.

But first, he had to get Kaito’s attention.

It was several days of watching before he got his chance. 

He didn’t see anything of the merman before a sharp sound pierced the water. The sound was high, then went low, then high again. Shinichi didn’t know what it meant and so stayed low in the waters. To his surprise, Kaito came darting out and to the surface of the waters. Curious, Shinichi allowed himself to float up, slowly craning his head out of the water.

Kaito was at the side of his tank, elbows on smooth rock as the trainer handed him bits of ‘food’ chunks to Kaito’s pleased sounds. Shinichi’s tail lashed jealously.

Why was that human feeding Kaito like he was a mate? And if they were, then why was Kaito captive in a cage? The human was not a good mate at all for keeping Kaito secluded, not even letting him see the sun to color his tail.

Shinichi’s ears perked as the human began to speak. “We’ve got a full program of performances starting tomorrow, Kaito-kun. You up for it?”

Kaito replied with a series of pleased clicks and squeals that didn’t amount to any actual words, which Shinichi found strange.

Did the human not notice? Did he not know enough dolphin to see that Kaito had just said a bunch of nonsense? Another reason why he wasn’t a good mate for Kaito.

“Yeah, I thought you would be.” The human laughed. “We’ll have an early practice, so sleep well tonight, okay? We want you bright and energetic tomorrow!”

More squeaks, though these were muffled by a mouthful of food chunks. Standing, the human threw the rest into the waters, making Kaito hurry after them before the reef sharks could get to it.

That decided it. This human was a horrible mate. Shinichi would have to do something about that.

But first…

“Hey!” he called. “Kaito!”

The merman turned to him at his name, but then paled and darted below the surface. Shinichi winced.

Yeah. Bad impression.

Following quickly, Shinichi tried to catch his eye, but the merman had fled, disappearing like before. No amount of pounding on the glass brought him back. Shinichi cursed his luck.

*           *           *           *           *

It took a few days, but Shinichi began to recognize a pattern. The unworthy human would make a specific sound with a shiny piece of coral and Kaito would come running, like some trained Tiger Shark. It was demeaning, but Kaito didn’t seem to recognize it as such. It ruffled Shinichi’s fins, but it was his ticket to cornering the other merman despite their different tanks.

Shinichi also noticed that the days and nights here worked similar to those in the oceans. The day was bright and full of activities and night dark and quiet. It was during one night that he put his plan into action.

Breaking the surface, he checked for the humans, even though he was sure they had left, before pursing his lips. It was a struggle, but he managed to recreate the unworthy human’s call. Sure enough, Kaito soon came running, though he looked confused.

Until he saw Shinichi.

Then he ducked back down.

Shinichi called again. Again, Kaito surfaced, still looking confused. He hadn’t even ducked below again when Shinichi called a third time. Dark eyes swiveled to him in a glare.

“Stop that!” Kaito hissed.

“Stop avoiding me,” Shinichi replied.

“I’m not… avoiding you,” Kaito started confidently, then ended in hesitation.

“Uh-huh, sure.”

“Well, it’s your fault!” Kaito hissed. “I gave you a fish to play with and you-! You-!”

“Ate it,” Shinichi finished. “Because that’s what mermen, what we do. We eat fish.”

Kaito wrinkled his nose. “You, maybe, but I eat the food chunks they give me. That’s what you’re _supposed_ to eat.”

“Those ‘food chunks’ are fish,” Shinichi said, eyebrows raising at Kaito’s naivety. “It’s cut and drained, but it’s still fish.”

Kaito looked confused a split second before looking horrified. “No, it’s not.”

“Kaito-?”

“No! It’s not fish! It’s not! It’s food chunks!” Kaito said earnestly. His gaze was wild as he stared at Shinichi. “It’s. Not. Fish!”

And maybe… maybe it’s what Kaito had to tell himself in order to keep eating and not waste away into nothing. Maybe it let him sleep at night, thinking he wasn’t eating his friends. Maybe Shinichi shouldn’t have said anything —not if it made Kaito hate him more.

“You’re right,” Shinichi said at Kaito’s expectant pause. “Sorry, I just… wanted to tease you. I’m sorry.”

Kaito stared at him for a long time before letting out a relieved sigh. “... I don’t like you.”

“I gathered,” Shinichi replied, not even bothering with niceties. Ran would have looked sad and apologetic. Sonoko would have ranted about how good she was and how Kaito should be grateful to have been blessed with her presence. Shinichi knew he wasn’t the best, so it didn’t surprise him. He just took it in stride.

“I’m not going to be your friend,” Kaito said stubbornly.

“I’m not asking you to,” Shinichi said, looking down at his water, as if he could see the exit the current had shown. “Just wanted to ask you a question.”

Kaito looked confused.

“The other day, I saw the seaweed colonies moving in an odd pattern, with a new current.” Shinichi frowned and looked back up. “Is there an exit over there?”

“I mean… kind of?” Kaito cocked his head to the side. “But I don’t think it’s the kind you want.”

“Any exit is good!” Shinichi insisted, suddenly hopeful of escaping this dull prison. “How far does it go out? Do the humans see you when you use it? Is it safe to enter?”

“It only goes as far as the arena,” Kaito said, a pitying look on his face. “It’s human made, so… as far as I know, it’s safe? I’ve been using it for years.”

“Human made?” Shinichi wilted. “So… it doesn’t lead to the sea?”

“No?” Kaito’s nose wrinkled. “Why would it?”

Shinichi sighed and sank so the water reached just below his nose. “I was… hoping it would.”

“Does it matter?” Kaito’s brow furrowed. “You can’t get into my tank anyway.”

“I would have found a way,” Shinichi insisted. A pretty easy way, all things considered. Getting out is the easy part — _finding_ an out was the trick. “But it doesn’t matter now I guess. Back to square one.”

Kaito was silent for a long moment. When he spoke again, Shinichi found him resting on his elbows on the rocky gap between them. “You really want to go back, huh?”

Shinichi nodded.

“Maybe you will?” Kaito smiled nervously. “Some animals the humans take care of go back to the ocean. Eventually-?”

“Eventually doesn’t cut it!” Shinichi snapped, his tail thrashing below him, even as his healing wound throbbed. “My pod will move on without me if I don’t go back soon! And you said ‘some’! What if they _never_ release me?”

“You can’t know that!” Kaito argued.

“They never released you, did they?” Shinichi pointed out. Kaito fell quiet, his gaze cutting off to the side. Guilt struck him in the stomach. “… I’m sorry. That was uncalled for. I just… really miss my family.”

After a long, quiet moment, Kaito replied. “At least you have a family to miss.”

Shinichi was the one left in confusion this time.

“I… came here when I was little,” Kaito said, confirming a deduction Shinichi had already made. “I don’t remember much of anything before here. I’ve just… always been in this place, in different tanks, but still this place. I think it might be better that I don’t remember. I don’t know what I’m missing, yeah?”

His smile was so sad that it broke Shinichi’s heart.

“I could tell you about mine?” Shinichi offered as a peace treaty.

Kaito looked unsure, but curious and a little happy. “I’d like that.”

*             *             *             *             *

Many things changed after that day. Kaito ended up being a very fun person to talk to and Shinichi taught him many more dolphin words. At night, they exchanged their own words above the surface when the humans were long gone.

Kaito still couldn’t watch Shinichi as he ate, but Shinichi had started on a plan of his own. Kaito’s exit wouldn’t work, but the human left every day. They had to get out somewhere, right? He just had to play it cool and keep watch. Someone would slip eventually.

But he also had to get Kaito out with him. A mer like Kaito deserved to explore the vast seas and meet many others of his kind. He deserved a full life, not one of a show-pony trapped in a cage.

Shinichi planned to do just that.

But first, he had to figure out how to take care of Kaito.

The other mer flat-out refused to eat fish. They were his friends and companions and Shinichi didn’t doubt for a second Kaito would keep that mentality out in free water. He would only eat food chunks, which Shinichi had discovered were fish a week prior.

If Shinichi could make food chunks adequately, he wouldn’t have to worry about Kaito starving out at sea.

He stared hard at the ones that floated down to the bottom of Kaito’s tank, fresh from a new feeding.

Mind running in over time, he caught a fish, but didn’t immediately take a bite out of it. Flicking out one sharp claw, he started the painstaking task of descaling it. He had to take a little flesh with it at times, but he was sure that would improve with practice.

He stole a glance over his shoulder.

The food chunks were cut in rectangles, with no fins, head or tail in sight. Shinichi pinned the fish to the bottom of the tank and quickly sliced through the thin flesh, waving off a cloud of blood. He remembered from before that the scent of blood had been stale, so they had been drained adequately before given to Kaito.

How did one drain blood in water?

Shinichi gave the mangled fish body a few pumps, seeing if he could force the blood out. It seemed to work okay, but he wondered if there was a better way of going about it. He agonized over it for a few more minutes before deciding to just try it.

Surfacing, he gave the humans a wary look before calling Kaito with his whistle. One of the humans dropped something in surprise, making Shinichi hiss, but Kaito surfaced before much other interaction could occur.

Kaito let out a series of unhappy, but questioning chirps. _Hey, hey, what? Why? Why call?_

Shinichi answered with a couple squealing clicks. _I have food? Not my food, though. Mistake._

 _Not your food?_ Kaito cocked his head to the side. Shinichi held up his handmade ‘food’ chunk, hoping it met Kaito’s approval. Kaito let out an excited squeal, ear flaps up and gills fluttering as his tail thrashed excitedly in place. _How? What? How?_

 _I think it got mixed up?_ Shinichi frowned. _I will not eat it._

 _I want! I want!_ Kaito gnashed his teeth together to mimic eating.

 _Okay._ Shinichi shrugged and threw it over the stone gap between them. Kaito caught it in his mouth (just where Shinichi was aiming) and bit into it… then made a whine. _What? Something wrong?_

 _Bad!_ Kaito spit the food chunk out, fingers reaching in to grab at other pieces. _Hard! What? Why hard?_

Hard? What could he possibly… Of course! The bones!

Shinichi felt like smacking himself. But how to make this right?

 _Wrong brand._ Kaito decided. _Icky brand. No like the hard._

 _Brand?_ Shinichi chirped back.

 _Type? Species? School?_ Kaito tried. _Not usual._

Shinichi didn’t fully understand, but it got him out of explaining. It also told him what he needed to fix for the next time he tried, but he would have to wait a little while. If he did it too many times, it would be obvious it was him. So he dove back down, mindless of the researchers that had watched the whole exchange with rapt attention, and caught some food for himself.

He waited about another week before trying again, this time taking care to cut the fish in half thin-ways in order to get all the bones out. He dug out the innards too, thinking that ‘less is more’ was an apt motto when it came to Kaito.

This time, when Kaito bit in, his eyes flew open and he smiled brightly. _Good! Good! Yummy!_

 _Yeah?_ Shinichi grinned.

 _Why you get good? You no like!_ Kaito pouted even as he finished the rest in two gulps.

 _Mistake._ Shinichi shrugged, but he made it a habit to feed Kaito every few days. It helped him practice his technique and also earned him Kaito’s trust, at least where food was involved.

*             *             *             *             *

There was a change to Shinichi’s schedule.

Usually, the humans came in the early morning. Kaito’s unworthy (but not _mate_ ) human came in to feed Kaito and another human dumped fresh fish into Shinichi’s tank. Usually, that is.

Today, the human that normally fed him took a seat on the lip of his pool, shiny coral in her mouth, and three short toots, all the same tone.

Shinichi stared from the depths.

A hand disturbed his waters. Three short notes again.

Shinichi drew closer to the ground, wishing for the camouflage skills of an octopus right about now.

Three notes, but this time, it was Kaito’s call.

Shinichi watched as Kaito surfaced immediately and got fed food by his not-mate and suddenly, it clicked.

They were trying to train him.

They were trying to train Shinichi like some sort of _pet_.

Shinichi growled low in his throat. He floated to the top, his head rising from the surface centimeter by centimeter, eyes sharp and deadly.

The human waved at him and threw a fish into the water. He hissed at her.

She frowned, lips pursed around her piece of shiny coral. She only got one note out of it before Shinichi was on her, shoving the bucket of live fish away and covering her with water with a sudden U-turn. She let out a screech and stumbled backwards, coughing and sputtering. Shinichi dove under the water as Kaito’s human jumped up to help the girl.

He returned to bean her in the head with the fish she had thrown in before.

“Shinichi!” Kaito called, face appalled. “What was that for!?”

She had been trying to train him, trying to bend him to her will and make him a toy for the entertainment of others. Shinichi _hated_ the thought, but he knew Kaito wouldn’t understand —couldn’t understand. It was all Kaito knew.

So he went with a second, but just as reasonable answer.

“She is _not_ my mate!” Shinichi hissed. “Mates handfeed! Mates share food! Mates provide for each other! She is _not_! I will never choose a _human_!”

It still wasn’t something Kaito understood, by the look on his face, but it was something he wouldn’t argue over. “That’s not what she was trying to do. She wants you to join my show, I think? It’s what they do with the dolphins.”

And the dolphins could have at it. They were show-boaters anyway, always wanting all the attention. Not Shinichi. Shinichi would prefer to be holed up in his cave or any of the ones his pod frequented throughout the year. He wanted nothing to do with humans. Nothing at all.

“Then let them go to the dolphins.” Shinichi spat at the two humans as Kaito’s helped the girl up. “I won’t play their games.”

Kaito frowned, but didn’t argue further, sensing it was a sore spot for Shinichi. He still didn’t get why the handfeeding was a big deal, even when Shinichi had tried to tell him after Kaito revealed the human had not been his mate. It just went over the white mer’s head.

The two humans were huddled together at the far end of the room, speaking quietly. The man asked a question and the girl looked over to Shinichi.

Shinichi bared his teeth.

The girl turned away and shook her head.

It was the first and _last_ time a human tried to tame him.

*             *             *             *             *

Shinichi knew how to make food chunks now and Kaito seemed to like them even better than his own. (He should. They were fresh.) So the food part was fixed for when Kaito escaped with Shinichi ( _if_ , he escaped with Shinichi).

Before they could go further, though, Shinichi wanted to properly court Kaito. He didn’t have any of his tools or the many pretty rocks and shells that he had picked up over the years. His bag had been hidden among the shallows when the humans dragged him thrashing and screeching onto their boat.

Long story short, he needed some starting materials. As much as he wanted to keep it a secret, Kaito was the only one he could ask for help. He tried to sound as nonchalant as possible.

“Do you have oysters over there?” Shinichi asked, hands pressed against the gap between them. The humans had gone for the day, though Shinichi didn’t doubt there were some on guard. A place as big as this? With prisoners like him and Kaito? It would have been stupid not to have guards.

“Do I have what?” Kaito cocked his head to the side. He was propped up on top of the gap, completely fine with being nearly beached. The two could just make eye-contact with their positions.

“Oysters,” Shinichi replied. At another blank look, he realized that Kaito must not know the word. He mimed with his hands two shells opening and closing.

Kaito brightened. “Oh! Those!” Then he darkened. “You’re not gonna eat them, right?”

“No,” Shinichi replied, earnestly. “Some of them have something in them. I wanted to see if any of these do.”

Kaito’s brow furrowed but he ducked down to search his tank. Shinichi looked below to watch as the merman perused the various pockets and rock formations. Finally, he surfaced at Shinichi’s end, oyster in hand.

Shinichi dragged himself half out of the water, about as far as he was comfortable going. His hand reached halfway between them, just able to touch Kaito’s if the other merman were to copy him.

He didn’t.

Shinichi made a questioning chirr, a habit he’d picked up from the other. Kaito looked up from where he was petting the oyster. “You promise not to hurt it?”

Shinichi’s gaze softened. “Promise.”

Kaito still looked unsure, but with one flip of his tail, he was half-beached and placing the oyster securely in Shinichi’s hand. Cradling the precious sea life, Shinichi ducked back down into the water to keep the oyster from dehydrating.

He could feel Kaito’s eyes on him as he traced the seam of two shells, but he ignored him. “Hello there. Can you please open up? I want to see if there is a pearl inside you.”

The oyster remained firmly shut.

“I won’t harm you. I promise,” Shinichi coaxed. The shells held still. He tried one last time, in the Old Language. _“I promise not to hurt you or eat you. I only want the sand-made-soft. I will return you after I search.”_

One beat, two… the oyster cautiously parted the two shells.

Shinichi brought his pinkie to his lips, biting the nail short and spitting out the excess into the water. He had sharp claws and didn’t want to harm the mollusk even by accident. Misfortune befell those who broke a promise in the Old Language.

Besides, nails could always grow back and pinkies weren’t much use in a fight.

Carefully, he pressed his finger between the two halves and palpitated the mussel. The shells twitched at his intrusion. He nearly retreated as those shells were known to take fingers clean off. But the oyster stayed still and a few seconds more, Shinichi pulled way with disappointment.

“Thank you,” he said to the oyster as it pulled the shells closed again. “I will return you to Kaito’s tank.”

He looked over at Kaito where the other had his face pressed up comically against the glass. Shinichi pointed upwards and dragged himself from the water again.

“Whoa! That was so cool!” Kaito gushed as he came out of the water. “How’d you get it to open like that?”

“I spoke to it,” Shinichi replied, handing the oyster over to his friend.

“I didn’t know they could talk.” Kaito’s nose crinkled as he looked down at the mollusk in his hold.

“They don’t make for good conversation partners,” Shinichi replied. “Got anymore?”

“Let me check!” Kaito dove back down and returned minutes later with another shell.

Shinichi eyed it with a deadpan expression. “Kaito, that’s a clam.”

“… Is there a difference?”

Shinichi sighed.

*           *           *           *           *

It took a dozen more oysters before Shinichi found one that held his prize. The pearl was nestled deep within the oyster’s mussel, though, so he couldn’t retrieve it easily.

He couldn’t, but the oyster could.

“That hard ball back there.” Shinichi pressed softly in indication. “Could I have it?”

Shinichi removed his finger and the oyster closed. A few minutes later, it opened just enough for the pearl to drop into Shinichi’s hand. The ball of pure white shimmered under the fake stars, smooth and almost glowing in its freshness. He rolled it to the side with his thumb to check for impurities, but it really was the perfect specimen of a pearl.

Only the best for Kaito.

Shinichi grinned and closed his fingers around it. “Thank you.”

“That’s the last one,” Kaito said sadly as Shinichi surfaced.

“That’s okay. I got what I was looking for,” Shinichi replied as he handed the oyster back.

“Really!?” Kaito beamed. “Can I see it?”

Shinichi flushed. “No. It’s a surprise.”

Honestly, it felt like cheating already in terms of courtship gifts. Yes, Kaito had no idea how courtship went, so Shinichi could probably get away with it, but he wanted to do this _right_. To do so, Kaito wasn’t supposed to see the gift until the end.

“What? That’s no fair!” Kaito whined. “You know, technically, it’s mine.”

“Technically, it was the oyster’s.”

“It was in my tank.”

“It was in the oyster’s body.”

Kaito glared, then pouted. “Shinichiiiii!”

“Good night, Kaito,” Shinichi said, then dove underwater. Kaito knocked on the glass to get his attention, but Shinichi ignored him. Instead, he went to the opposite corner, curled up and slept. He kept the pearl close, no wanting to lose such a precious item.

Tomorrow, he would start grinding a hole with his sharp claws and the next day, ask for some kelp to braid a string from. These tasks were more in Ran’s expertise, but his mother had taught him how, just like everyone else’s had —everyone except Kaito that is.

Shinichi frowned at the thought of not getting an acceptance gift in return, but it was what it was. He knew he would always be faithful to the one he courted, even if the feelings were not returned.

It was simply how he was.

*           *           *           *           *

 Something was up with the land-dwellers.

They had fed him and Kaito like normal, but instead of disappearing again, they grouped around a table instead. From a shiny ball in the corner of the ceiling, Shinichi could make out a map of some sort that they were pointing to and planning out routes.

It made his scales itch.

“What are they talking about?” Shinichi asked Kaito. He had learned long ago that the Kaito was very fluent in the human language, even if he couldn’t speak it.

The other merman looked up from his snack, then honed in on the humans. He cocked his head to the side. “They are… talking about moving something? Something big. But it needs to stay wet so it doesn’t…”

Kaito cut himself off, suddenly staring at Shinichi with wide eyes. “Shinichi, how is your injury?”

Shinichi glanced down out of reflex. The skin had sealed up a while ago and the muscle had been slowly filling in. The area was still pink and tender, but it was leagues better than where he’d started.

He told Kaito this, then panicked when the merman’s face fell. “Then you don’t need to be in quarantine anymore.”

“So they’re going to release me?” Shinichi felt his fins flutter, but his stomach felt heavy. “I can go home?”

Kaito shook his head. “They’re moving you to a tank somewhere else. Maybe with the dolphins for a while.”

Shinichi grew angry. “Why?! Why don’t they just let us go?!”

Kaito frowned, ear flaps pulling low. “Because we’re in dangered.”

“The only things we’re ‘in danger’ of, are _them_ ,” Shinichi seethed, glaring at the crowded table.

One of the humans noticed him and started over. Shinichi growled viciously, making the human slow and pause. Another came up beside the first, the two conversing lowly. Shinichi bared his teeth and hissed until they turned away and rejoined the group. Moments later, the crowd dispersed, some looking at Shinichi as others took the table and map away.

The map.

It would have an exit, Shinichi was sure. He’d only caught a glimpse, but…

“Kaito, why are they leaving?” Shinichi asked, glaring at the group.

“They think you’re too hostile still.” Kaito shrugged. “So they’ll try to calm you down before they try. If you won’t calm, they’ll bring the pain-sleep. Then they’ll move you to the new tank and you’ll wake up there.”

Pain-sleep sounded like they’d knock him unconscious. He couldn’t afford to lose his mind in this place.

“When are they going to do it?” Shinichi asked.

“Tomorrow, probably.” Kaito looked at an errant circle on the wall. The tiny hands moved rhythmically. “Humans don’t like to stay here too long, especially if something can be put off ‘til tomorrow.”

Shinichi thought long and hard on his options. Tomorrow… that left tonight only to get away. It was nearly lights out already, that didn’t leave him a lot of time.

He had to get to work.

“Kaito, can you bring up some of those white stones again?” Shinichi asked. He had found out that, as far as writing utensils went, the white stones at the bottom of Kaito’s tank worked best on the rough grey rock that surrounded their tanks.

“Okay?” Kaito dove down and surfaced seconds later with a handful. “What are you doing?”

“Escaping,” Shinichi said, picking up a rock only when the last human had left the room. The lights flicked off, leaving them in comfortable darkness.

“What?!” Kaito dropped the food strip from his hands. His eyes went wide with disbelief. “But —how?! There’s no water! How are you going to swim out? Magic?!”

“Sort of.” Shinichi sketched out the map he had seen. The proportions were warped due to the shiny surface, but it would have to do. “A friend of mine is a sea witch. She cast a spell on me that has only ever been a nuisance, but now, it’s come in handy.”

“And you can actually get out?” Kaito asked excitedly, tail splashing in eagerness. “You can just leave at any time?!”

“Not if I don’t know where to go.” Shinichi marked a square that the humans had pointed at many times. The dimensions looked to match the room they were in. He crossed out the other one they had drawn a route to. He didn’t want to go to another tank. He wanted out.

But where was out? Would he have to check every place? Surely there were guards somewhere here. If they were ‘in danger’ like they’d convinced Kaito, then there had to be guards. If he was caught, they would know his special skill and that would be it. They’d make sure he couldn’t use it.

He had one shot… but where to _go_?

“This is a nursery area.” Kaito pointed to the map. At Shinichi’s questioning look, Kaito explained. “That’s where I started out when I first came here. There’s an exit here, but someone tried to go out that way once and a loud sound started up. It scared me so bad I peed the tank.”

Shinichi grimaced and crossed out the room. The area Kaito had pointed to for the door had a strange quarter circle mark on it. Shinichi searched for more and found there to be a common theme. Each main room had one, along with a line of them at one end of the map.

He circled them all. “So where did you go after that?”

“They moved me here to the reef for a while before over here with the sharks.” Kaito frowned. “They didn’t like me much so they moved me to the dolphins. They were fun to play with, even though I had to go away every time they performed. Then I started performing too and I got to stay.”

Shinichi calmly crossed off the areas Kaito pointed out, even as his stomach turned. It was sick, how these humans were treating Kaito like an animal, making him perform tricks and uprooting him at their will. He had realized it long ago, but that’s exactly what the humans thought of them, that Kaito and Shinichi were nothing but _animals_.

Shinichi smothered the growl that came instinctively to his lips. “Those doors here, did they look like the one with the loud sound?”

“Hmm… yea, they did.” Kaito’s brow furrowed in thought. “They all had red rectangles on them.”

Shinichi frowned and crossed off those doors. That left so few options. Kaito had been all over this place. If none of these doors worked, then… “Where do the people come in?”

“Oh, that’s over here.” Kaito pointed to the row of door symbols Shinichi had circled.

Many doors let people in en-mass. Fit for performances and gawking for sure

That would be their way out.

“Ah, but they always lock it at night.” Kaito frowned. “So that early visitors don’t just walk in without paying.”

Locks… Shinichi clicked his teeth. He knew that his claws could slash through metal and other human contraptions, but he wasn’t sure about locks. But if he didn’t do something, he and Kaito would be separated, _for_ _good_.

It was his only shot.

“Kaito, that bright red coral and the sky blue one, can you bring me a piece of each?” Shinichi asked. Kaito tilted his head in confusion but nodded and ducked down.

Meanwhile, Shinichi ducked below to find the nail he’d bitten off a week ago. He collected it, along with the necklace he’d been working on. It wasn’t finished yet, but he had no time to waste. Surfacing with both in hand, he was met with a very confused Kaito.

“What do these have to do with escaping?” Kaito asked, dropping the corals within reach.

“Every magic spell needs components,” Shinichi replied, setting his nail to the side

“So you’ll be leaving then? Tonight?” Kaito looked sad. When Shinichi nodded, he gave a weak smile. “Well, I hope you make it out. If you do, remember me, yeah? Even if you were kept here against your will, I wasn’t too bad, right?”

“No, you weren’t.” Shinichi felt his gaze soften as he reached out for Kaito’s hand. When he had his attention, Shinichi took a breath and laid out his request. “Kaito… come with me.”

Violet eyes went wide. “Shinichi?”

“If I leave you here, I won’t be able to think of anything but you in this tiny tank, all alone.” Shinichi glared at the space between them. “You deserve more. You deserve entire oceans to play in, wide open spaces to swim as far as you want. You deserve to be _free_.”

“I… I can’t.” Kaito looked away but his hand remained where it was beneath Shinichi’s. “I wouldn’t survive! I wouldn’t know how to live out there!”

“I’ll teach you,” Shinichi promised. “It’s remarkably easy.”

“I’ll be a weirdo. Your friends won’t like me.”

“If they don’t, they don’t deserve to call themselves my friends.”

“I won’t be able to _eat_. The humans make their food chucks and-!”

“Kaito,” Shinichi said seriously. “Those food chunks I gave you? The ones that ‘fell’ into my tank by ‘accident’? I made those.”

Kaito paused, voice growing quiet. “... You did?”

Shinichi nodded.

“You’ve been planning for this since then? Back when I didn’t even like you?”

Shinichi nodded again.

Kaito looked like he was going to cry, but smiled instead. “I guess I have to go now, don’t I?”

Shinichi frowned. “Kaito, I’m not trying to make you feel guilty. I just… don’t want to leave you here alone.”

“And I’m tired of _being_ alone.” Kaito turned his hand over to grip Shinichi’s. “I didn’t realize it when I was the only one, but after _you_ came, after we talked, after the humans planned to take you away, I realized I didn’t want you to leave —not without me.”

Shinichi felt his heart swell with hope.

Kaito turned his gaze downwards to the two corals. “So, do I need to go get two more corals? For you and for me…?”

“No, the spell will only work on me,” Shinichi answered. “I’ll just have to carry you out.”

“Carry…?” Kaito grew dubious. “Shinichi, I’m heavy. It takes four humans to move me every time.”

“I can handle it.” Shinichi shrugged him off. “But first, we need to plan our escape. After the magic spell, I won’t be able to talk.”

“Okay.” Kaito looked concerned, but switched his gaze to the map. “So what do we do?”

“I’ll take us to these doors.” Shinichi pointed to the line. “You take this nail and cut open the locks.”

“Nail?” Kaito looked at the long, thin, black claw. “Are you sure that will be enough?”

“Yeah. It has cut through metal before.” Shinichi shrugged. “I don’t see why it won’t this time.”

“Can mine do that?” Kaito looked at his own nails, short and filed smooth.

“Probably not until they grow out,” Shinichi decided. “Once the door is open, we just need to find the ocean.”

“Over here.” Kaito pointed to his side of the map. “I see it when I do the high flip sometimes. The arena is open are on sunny days.”

So close? All this time? No matter. Shinichi would return soon.

“Then all that’s left is… do you want to take anything with you?” Shinichi asked. Kaito looked down immediately to his tank. “We can’t take the fish, Kaito.”

Kaito frowned heavily, then looked thoughtful. “Just one thing.”

He dove down and reappeared with a small ring.

Shinichi’s breath caught. That looked like a courting gift —an actual _mer_ courting gift. Had someone else already claimed Kaito? Had that human from before? Was Shinichi’s work for nothing?

“This was my mother’s,” Kaito explained. “She had it, _before_. She used it to keep me calm. She said that I had to look after it, to make sure no one would steal her treasure. Even after I came here, I’ve kept it close.”

His mother’s… Shinichi let out a sigh of relief. He still had a chance.

“It won’t fit anymore.” Kaito frowned, turning the ring over and over.

“I might be able to help with that.” Shinichi revealed the necklace he’d been working on, ignoring the butterflies in his stomach. “We can string it on to here and-?”

“It’s beautiful!” Kaito exclaimed, eyes sparkling. He reached out, not quite touching the necklace. “Did you make this? Is this why you needed the kelp? And oyster?”

“Yeah.” Shinichi pouted. “I was going to offer it to you when it was finished, but…”

“I can have it?!” Kaito beamed up at Shinichi like he’d given him the moon, not a half-finished project. “Thank you, Shinichi!”

Shinichi felt his face heat up. “N-no problem.”

“I wish I had something to give you in return,” Kaito said as he tugged the necklace closer.

“Y-You do?”

“Yes.” Kaito threaded his mother’s ring on. One end of the necklace was still unbraided kelp, but Kaito tied it anyway. It sat higher on his neck than Shinichi intended, but the pearl still looked beautiful against Kaito’s skin. “How do I look?”

Shinichi swallowed thickly. “Good. You look… very good.”

Kaito beamed brightly, nearly stopping Shinichi’s heart. Acutely away of time ticking away, Shinichi cleared his throat and looked back down at the map.

“Okay, we’ve got our plan. Let’s go.” Shinichi looked at the two corals and swallowed thickly.

“Shinichi?” Kaito crooned, concerned.

“Nothing, just… the spell isn’t pleasant.” Shinichi wrapped a shaky hand around the red coral. “Keep hold of the blue one. I need it to revert the spell.”

“Okay,” Kaito said, scooping it and the claw up. His eyes still kept a worried gaze on Shinichi.

“And Kaito…” Shinichi fiddled with the red coral, suddenly unsure. “Promise… not to be scared?”

Kaito looked confused, but his voice was strong. “Of course.”

Shinichi nodded once, then dove to the bottom of his tank. It would be dangerous, but if he cried out and alerted the humans, then they would be caught before they even began.

So, taking a deep breath, he put the small piece of coral between his teeth, crunched it to dust, and swallowed.

Immediately, pain engulfed him; his heart a beat of agony that pulsed faster and faster as his body thrashed. Distantly, he could hear a banging of fists on glass and maybe even a call of his name, but his vision blacked out before he could be sure.

*             *             *             *             *

Shinichi was hurt. Shinichi was hurting and Kaito couldn’t get to him! Shinichi was thrashing, _dying_ and Kaito was _stuck behind a pane of glass_!

“Shinichi!” Kaito cried as the other let out a high pitched scream —supersonic like a dolphin’s search radar, (Kaito’s throat ached in sympathy) then fell limp. Kaito’s nails clattered over the glass, ineffective and dull.

He felt his eyes burn like when they cleaned the floors, but there were no chemicals in his water. There was nothing to make them burn, but the sight of Shinichi flat on the tan floor.

Had… Had the spell killed him? Had it been too risky? Had Shinichi taken that risk for Kaito? Had he risked his life for Kaito?

… Had he _lost_ his life for Kaito?

Kaito rested his forehead on the glass, burning eyes intent on Shinichi as his mouth screwed up in a heart-wrenching sob. “Shinichi…”

Then Kaito saw it.

Shinichi’s beautiful tail, his gorgeous dorsal, his translucent fins, were… shrinking?

They were! They were shrinking into Shinichi’s skin, growing lighter as they did. His tail split in two, right down the middle and Kaito was suddenly glad that Shinichi was unconscious. That would have been enough pain to kill him.

Just as the final black scales at Shinichi’s waist disappeared, his body jerked. Kaito watched with fear as Shinichi flailed upwards with none of his former grace. He surfaced with sputters and coughs like Kaito’s trainers when they stayed under too long.

“Shinichi?” Kaito called as he splashed to the surface. “Shinichi? Are you okay? What was that? Was that the spell?”

Shinichi pulled himself from the water and just laid there for a long second. Kaito took the time to look him over for other changes and —legs. Shinichi had _legs,_ like a _human_ did!

“Shinichi…” Kaito whispered warily. “You… you’re human?”

Shinichi stared at him, those same deep blue eyes. Then he patted the concrete floor as he got shakily to his knees.

“What?” Kaito cocked his head. Shinichi patted the floor again and pointed to the door.

Oh, right. Shinichi was going to carry him out.

Kaito ducked back down, to the bottom of his tank, then with one big splash, he beached himself onto the floor. He winced when his scales dragged against rough concrete. It was nothing like the slick floors of his stage.

A pale hand caught him and carefully pulled him all the way free. Kaito winced at the drag, but tried not to complain. Shinichi was doing his best after all. “Now what?”

Shinichi looked him over for a long moment before he pushed Kaito onto his back. He slipped an arm under his spine and lower on his tail and just _heaved him up_.

Kaito let out a squawk and threw his arms around Shinichi’s shoulders, clinging tight. Shinichi wobbled as he went from his knees to his feet. His first steps were unstable, but with each step, his strength grew until he was making long, confident strides out the doors and down the hall. They made it all the way to the front doors before they hit their first obstacle.

“How do I…?” Kaito turned the claw over and over as he tried to figure out how to cut the lock open. It wasn’t a chain lock, like Kaito was used to, so he was at a loss. “How do I do this? I don’t think cutting off the circle is going to unlock it.”

Shinichi frowned at him, face flushed with exertion. His arms were starting to tremble where they held Kaito close.

Shinichi coughed, pointedly.

Right, he wouldn’t be able to reply to Kaito.

Just then, the alarm rang out, startling them both. Shinichi turned frantic eyes on Kaito as the other panicked, looking between the claw and the lock.

“Think, Kaito! Think!” Kaito squeezed his eyes shut, trying to recall just what the human did when they had locked up so many years ago. He couldn’t remember much, just them slotting a small shape into the lock…

He jammed the claw into the circle and turned.

The lock held fast.

No, no, no! That should have worked! It should have opened! Now the claw was stuck and he couldn’t get it _out_ and-!

He turned it the other way.

They heard the lock slide past.

Kaito felt his chest fill with relief, but Shinichi didn’t give him long to celebrate. Once the door was unlocked, Shinichi was through, taking off at a sprint as humans yelled after them.

Startling sounds popped around them as flashes filled the night, but Shinichi paid them no mind. Even when other humans got close, Shinichi just poured on a burst of speed and dodged their grasping hands.

Then they were on a dock, way out over the water. The humans slowed, expecting them to stop, to be trapped with no way out.

Shinichi just kept running.

Running right over the end, into the water, and sinking into the depths. Kaito gasped in the water, unbelieving that they’d made it.

“Shinichi!” Kaito twisted in Shinichi’s hold, body much lighter in the substance it was made for. “We did it! We’re free!”

Shinichi shook his head just as something tore through the water. Kaito didn’t know what it was, but it left the water hot afterwards, bubbles wiggling up in lines. Shinichi covered his mouth with a strained look, but pointed out further.

Kaito understood.

Grabbing the other’s wrist, Kaito took off, racing far from shore. The _things_ chased them for a while, but quickly fell out of range. Kaito wasn’t sure how far he was supposed to go before Shinichi started yanking frantically on his hand.

Kaito slowed and turned to look. “What?”

Shinichi was doubled over, like one of Kaito’s trainers again. He pointed up.

Kaito pushed him above the surface and held him as he coughed. “Are you okay, Shinichi?”

Shinichi breathed in a few ragged breaths before nodded and gestured to his mouth.

“Umm…?” Kaito didn’t know what he needed.

Shinichi frowned and held up two fingers and then took down one.

Two, then one…? Oh! The coral!

Kaito held up the light blue coral and watched in fascination as Shinichi bit down on it. The transformation was just as horrifying this time, made even more so by the fact that he thrashed in _Kaito’s arms_ before falling limp. His agonized scream tore at the air, making Kaito wince in sympathy. Kaito could _feel_ the magic working its way through Shinichi’s flesh, changing him back to the merman he had been before.

Kaito didn’t like this magic. He didn’t like that it hurt Shinichi. He hoped that they wouldn’t have to use it again any time soon.

When Shinichi came to again, it was with slow movements and tired eyes.

“So…” Kaito gave a thin smile. “We’re out! Now… now what?”

Shinichi blinked at him, once, twice, then folded his hand with Kaito’s and tugged him beneath the waters. They were far from shore, but close enough that the rocky land forms still held a safe place for them. Shinichi searched the narrow spaces thoroughly before finding one that would fit them both. Kaito was pushed in first, followed by Shinichi. With his dark scales, he proved to be the best camouflage against the dark rocks for hunters of all kinds.

“Sleep.” Kaito guessed, answering his question from before. He tried to remember back to when he first heard of Shinichi’s escape plans. “And then… find your pod?”

Shinichi nodded, a gentle smile on his face. He touched the pearl sitting in the hollow of Kaito’s throat before leaning in close to rest his head on the other’s shoulder.

Kaito… had never been this close to another mer before, not that he could remember. He was sure his mother or father must have held him like this, but… that was different. This was _Shinichi_. Kaito wasn’t sure his heart would calm enough to let him sleep like this.

Despite his doubts, it did.

Soon enough, he was asleep and the two safely ensconced away from a world suddenly in a panic after having lost two of the most valuable specimens on earth.

In the morning, Shinichi would find his bag of supplies and reorient himself. Kaito would get his first taste of the open ocean and all matter of sea life. The two would begin their journey together.

But that was in the morning.

Now, was the time for sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have to say, I'm really happy with how this one turned out. I have more ideas for it, but this seemed like a good stopping point for this oneshot. The next will feature Shinichi and Kaito's adventures in the ocean and finding Shinichi's pod again. I'm not sure how much will go into it or if there will be a third edition if I run out of space. We'll just have to wait and see. :)
> 
> Hope you enjoyed it!

**Author's Note:**

> If you want to say 'Good job!' or 'Update soon!' or 'Longer please!', just leave a Kudo (or Kaito, I'm not picky. ;) Shinichi is though). If you have already sent a Kudo, but want to leave more, feel free to leave a couple of [these](https://www.google.com/search?source=hp&ei=PrB6XNy-FeemjwSmgZoo&q=kudos+bars&oq=kudos&gs_l=psy-ab.1.2.0l2j0i131l3j0l5.903.2069..4394...0.0..0.158.582.5j1......0....1..gws-wiz.....0..35i39.NwqP_aMrddA) for me.
> 
> If you have any critiques about word-choice or question about some sections, please leave a comment below. I am always looking to better my writing skills, so any help there is appreciated. :)


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